A 76-year-old retired parish council worker from Trelawny, on Tuesday took home a cheque for a whopping $117 million which was his total for winning a share of the June 16 Super Lotto.

The pensioner, identified only as W Gordon from Granville near Falmouth, tried his best to disguise himself by putting on a red, green and gold tam with hanging locks covering his face. The locks are fake, however, as Mr Gordon says he is a Christian.

According to that he is a devout Methodist who attends church in Falmouth and believes that God had a hand in his luck.

Interestingly, in an interview with another site, Mr Gordon says almost missed out on his super blessing, $117 million prize, after a friend provided him with the incorrect draw results.

"I bought my ticket days before the draw, around Wednesday, and I didn't check my numbers same time. I asked someone to give me the draw numbers but the ones he gave me were wrong.

But Gordon, a Trelawny resident who has been an avid Lotto and Super Lotto player for over 10 years, had a hunch to check the numbers himself. He was right. And the rest is history.

Hundreds of persons came out on Wednesday to pay their final respects to the late president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Captain Horace Burrell, at a Thanksgiving Service at the National Arena in Kingston.

Several persons paid tribute to Captain, among them Bruce Gaynor, JFF's vice president; Brazilian Rene Simoes, former Reggae Boyz technical director; Canadian Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF and vice president of FIFA; Curacao's Rignaal Francisca, acting president of the Caribbean Football Union, Sports Minister Olivia Grange and Portia Simpson-Miller, former Prime Minister of Jamaica.

Musical tributes in songs were came from Ernie Smith, who did "I Believe", the Jamaica Constabulary Force choir, Richie Stephens who sang "My Way" and Ashe Assembly - the group performing "Rise Up", which was done to celebrate Jamaica's qualification to the World Cup in France 1998.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness read the first lesson, with Opposition Leader Dr. Peter Phillips doing the second, Burrell's friend Julie Jones the third and the fourth done by Captain Burrell's brothers, Carlton and Edward.Captain Burrell's close friend, Horace Reid, a former General Secretary of the JFF, did the eulogy.

Reverend Adinhair Jones gave the homily and he preached about the resurrection, with Al Miller, who worked closely with Captain Burrell during his tenure as president of the JFF, prayed for the family.

The National Arena was transformed into the national colours of black, green and gold and Captain Burrell's casket was draped with a flag of Jamaica.

The Combined Military Band was also a vital part of the service and their duties included playing the National Anthem at the beginning of the service.

Captain Burrell led the JFF from 1994, excepting for a four-year period. After ailing for the past year, Captain Burrell passed away on June 6 at the John Hopkins Oncology Centre in Baltimore, USA, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer. He was 67.

The case of the American woman on trial for informing a crew of seven Jamaican-born men, suspected to be drug-dealers, about an investigation being conducted by her former husband, who is a police detective, and his team is rather interesting. The woman pleaded guilty in court in the US and faces a maximum punishment is 20 years in federal prison and a fine of US$250,000.

According to a report from the SunSentinel, the defence for Porsha Session, 31, said she acted naively to retaliate against her then-husband because he was cheating on her. Federal authorities said that her actions compromised the undercover investigation and an insider informant who was secretly working with them was "outed" and the man died of a gunshot wound a short time later under suspicious circumstances but was officially ruled a suicide, US media reported.

SunSentinel also stated that Session's defence attorney Fred Haddad said that there was no evidence to suggest she was aware of the potential consequences and recommended that she be sentenced to house arrest, partly because she has no prior criminal history. However, prosecutors said that because Session was married to a police, she should have known the potential dangers and that she was putting others at risk, adding that she deserves a much harsher punishment than the 15 to 21 months in prison recommended by sentencing guidelines.

Session admitted that she snooped in her now ex-husband's work email and discovered memos that contained sensitive information about the investigation, the suspects and an informant who was working for agents inside the group.She pleaded guilty to federal obstruction of an official proceeding - a grand jury investigation - and admitted she made six phone calls to one of the suspected drug dealers and warned him that an insider was helping law enforcement, SunSentinel outlined.

The undercover investigation, which started in October 2012, was focused on a "crew" of seven Jamaican-born men suspected of operating a significant drug-dealing business in the Lauderhill and Fort Lauderdale areas, prosecutors Jeffrey Kaplan and Paul Schwartz said.

The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says it has written to Digicel requesting an explanation on the company's decision to start charging a prepaid maintenance fee (PMF) to customers whose monthly spend falls below $50.

The OUR, in a release this morning, said it also wants Digicel to provide evidence that it had provided customers with sufficient advance notice; the exact amount to be charged; and the basis of such a charge.

Digicel has been asked to respond to the OUR's queries by Friday.

OUR said it received a letter dated June 23, 2017 from Digicel, advising that the purpose of the PMF is to ensure that all customers adequately contribute to the cost of operating and maintaining their accounts on its systems and networks, in circumstances where they spend less than $50 within a calendar month.

This new measure took effect on Thursday, June 22.

In its response, the OUR noted that while Digicel has updated its terms and conditions on its website with the PMF (clause 10.4), there is no indication of when its customers were notified, if indeed they were notified at all.

The OUR also expressed its disappointment that Digicel had not notified the regulator of this new fee prior to implementation.

This is an all too familiar issue with Digicel prepaid customers - The Case of the Missing Credit. And when you call, the same old, boring LIAD tales - 'Your Data Was On and it reserved some of the credit."

"No mam/Sir, my Data is OFF!'

Here, one customers lays out his case in an online comment and we can all relate,. Please read

"TS • 5 hours ago

They (Digicel) should also be questioned about the missing credit from customers accounts they claimed was used by data service and worse sending one sms and been charged for four. Finally experienced the missing credit phenomenon and when called them was told i used data. This is despite for the entire time period i didn't use any form of mobile data and was only on wifi.

What made it worse was that same day in the early morning i tried to make a call and couldn't get through to the person, then sent them a text which right after got multiple notifications about free text, with last one saying to send one more to get free text. Checked credit and saw they charged me for four text despite only sending one. Less than an hour later made a call for nearly a minute, however never checked my credit afterwards, until in the afternoon tried to make a call only after about 10 seconds to hear that i need to top up to continue making calls.

When finally got through to a csr later on, i was told it was because i used data for over five minutes during the time period of early morning when i sent the text they overcharged for. Which is extremely weird since I'm well versed in technology especially the aspect of hardware and software for mobile devices and even computers. During that entire period mobile data wad never turned on and only wifi was used, which was verified when check phones data usage, which showed for that time period no form of mobile data was used for the entire day and the last time mobile data was used was over three days before the incident.

Even for the text overcharged they tried to claim i might have sent multiple text, despite the person i text more than once verified they only received one short text from me. The data usage was also further proven to be a lie, by the fact how i could use data for over five minutes, yet no trace of it shows up in monitor software on device, along with data was never turn on, the amount they claimed i used for data is nearly the same amount i had left after they charged for multiple text instead of one, yet was able to make a call for nearly an entire minute and still had credit left to make an further call for over 10 seconds in the after after they had taken credit from my account.

Incidents like these need to be investigated, because not all incidents where they claim data was used is true and it isn't hard have the software governing account info to randomly remove credit from accounts and record it had data, despite the owner of the account having never used data."

Sources close to former Downsound Records singer says Ishawna would've been a better fit for the job as she made the brand a lot of money last month when she dropped her 'Equal Rights' singer however the company is afraid of taking risks.

"Goodie [Ishawna] was the better candidate but dem fraid because muma raw so i kinda understand how the business good," the source said. "More opportunities will come again but wi feel away nah guh lie but congrats to Shenseea same way a woman time now."

Below are some of the comments on Alkaline's video and the police's reactions:

"It's a movie...with props..no different than Jimmy Cliff in "The Harder They Come" ( as a matter of fact the gully scene can be viewed as a tribute to that great JAMAICAN cult film)

Are we saying that because this movie seeks to portray the current Jamaican reality, it is not fit for public digestion?"

"The open display of guns"...of course ..it's a movie.. gangster movies have guns...I'm sure the relevant permits/supervision/permissions were obtained. The director is one of the country's best...I'm sure he wouldn't jeapordise his reputation by not sticking to the rules."

"The police vehicle that was used...if it turns out to be an actual service vehicle..must have been authorised...let's see if any divisional Commander is going to be sanctioned.

And lastly...the "police woman" ....any body can see that the uniform is fake...."

The members of the police force are up in arms after Alkaline's After All video portrays them in a negative light. According to reports, the police are especially concerned about a sex scene featuring a female dressed as police constable, and also the presence in the video of what seems to be an official service vehicle.

Checks are now being made to ascertain if the vehicle is actually a part of the official fleet of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Also its understood that persons represented as cops will also be questioned.

Commissioner of Police George Quallo has reportedly ordered an immediate investigation into the video which shows individuals smoking ganja, brazenly toting guns, cursing, and interspersed with a sex scene.

According to one news outlet, as a result of especially the sex scene and the open carrying of guns featured in the video, many policemen and women are taking the position that they will not be carrying out any duties at events where Alkaline will be performing in the future.

Drink Brand Pepsi Jamaica has signed singjay Shenseea as its Brand Ambassador.

This signing was held at Pepsi Jamaica's Spanish Town Road headquarters in Kingston recently.

She joins fellow Pepsi ambassadors Busy Signal, who is the face and voice of the Joy of Pepsi campaign and Konshens who was apart of the brand's Pepsi Bubbla campaign.

The 20 year old fast rising sensation who emerged on the dancehall scene with the single Jiggle in 2016 and quickly rose to fame with hit track Loodi featuring Vybz Kartel, says she's grateful for the opportunity to work with the global brand.

She is now in Puerto Rico where it is expected that she will perform over the weekend.

Police say Hanover's most wanted man, Thirty-three-year-old Shernardo Leslie otherwise called "Blacks" was fatally shot in an attack on the police on Friday.

Reports from the Lucea Police are that about 8:50 p.m., a police operation was in progress when a motorcar was signalled to stop. Men alighted from the vehicle and opened gunfire at the Police who returned gunfire.

Leslie, who police say is a multiple murderer, was later discovered with gunshot wounds and rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The other men made good their escape in the area.

The Inspectorate of the Constabulary and the Independent Commission of Investigations INDECOM are investigating.

However, in an interview with the Gleaner, Superintendent of Police Sharon Beeput, the commanding officer for the Hanover Police Division, is quoted as saying that Leslie was a known enforcer in the parish.

"This man has been giving us a lot of trouble since the start of the year. We believe he has had a hand in the vast majority of the 36 murders we have had in the parish this year," said Beeput. "With him now out of the way, we should have some measure of peace now."

Leslie, known in the criminal underworld as 'Blacks,' was implicated in a recent quadruple murder, two triple murders and two double murders. He was said to be the chief enforcer for the One Voice gang, one of the three criminal gangs operating in the parish.

A senior citizen who pleaded guilty to impregnating an underage girl 10 years ago, was sentenced to three years imprisonment when he appeared in the St Catherine circuit court.

He is 70-year-old Cecil hall of Linstead St Catherine.

Hall's troubles with the court started after he attended family court in February for a maintenance hearing.

During his attendance, he allegedly said that he would not be paying anymore money to the mother of his 10-year-old child.

The child's mother then revealed to the court that he needs to live up to his responsibility and that he impregnated her when she was only 15 years old. An inquiry was made by the presiding parish judge, after which documentary evidence confirmed that hall committed carnal abuse.

Sergeant attached to the Kingston Western Division was shot and injured and three illegal firearms seized in two separate attacks on the Police in West Kingston, last night. Reports are that about 12:30 a.m, a police team was on duty in the Coronation Market and its environs when a group of men armed with high-powered weapons attempted to enter the market space.

The police were however vigilant and took command of the space and prevented them from doing so, as a result the gunmen fired at the police who countered the attack.

During the shooting, the sergeant was shot and injured as also one of the gunmen.

On the approach of the police to the injured gunman the team came under heavy gunfire from the Lizard Town and Tivoli Gardens communities. Reinforcement was sought and teams from Divisions within Area 4, Mobile Reserve and the Jamaica Defence Force assisted.

Both injured men were taken to hospital where the policeman was treated and the unidentified gunman pronounced dead. Two firearms, a 9mm pistol and a .38 revolver were seized in the incident.

About an hour earlier in the Rose Town community, a police team was on mobile patrol when they too were attacked by gunmen armed with high-powered weapons. The lawmen repelled the challenge and the gunmen fled. The gunmen were however accosted by another police team that was on patrol in the area.

One gunman was shot and injured and a 9mm Luger pistol with two rounds of ammunition seized from him. The other men escaped in the community.

Councillor for the Payne Land Division in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Council Audrey Smith Facey looks set to be the next Member of Parliament for St Andrew South Western. Reports are that she is miles ahead of Karl Blake the other candidate interested in replacing outgoing Member of Parliament Portia Simpson Miller.

Blake is the councillor for the Greenwich Town Division, also in the constituency of St Andrew South Western. He is recuperating from a brazen attack by gunmen recently, when he was shot at the divisional office located at Caribbean Palms along Spanish Town Road in the constituency.

His divisional secretary and longstanding member of the PNP, Maxine Simpson was killed during the incident.

Shabba Ranks(Mr Loverman) performed all his hits and wooed the massive crowd.

He exited the stage after 4 am Saturday morning.

He performed his signature hit 'Twice My Age', in which Nadine Sutherland sang Crystals part,...Xanadu sang Cocoa T's song & sounded just like the dread.

Mavado entered the stage after 4 am,he was the closing act..

Prior to Shabba Ranks was the Go Go Dolls.their set was over an hour..

Earlier In the evening Third World performed.

Speaking at a Music Festival artiste press conference Friday morning, Head of the Artiste selection committee Jonel Powel had oromised with the level of talent for Friday night's (June 23) lineup, fans could certainly expect great performances.

The second staging of the Washington, DC Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival took place Sunday, June 18th and brought together thousands of guests at its new venue, RFK Stadium. The fun-filled day included mainstage and cultural stage performances, mouthwatering jerk food selections from various vendors, an interactive Kidz Zone, Jerk Cook-off Pavilion and more. VIP Vibe zone ticket holders were offered an exclusive fan experience with an all-inclusive menu, waiter service, and a premium viewing area. Everywhere you turned there was something exciting to experience.

The hot sweltering day kicked off with The Cultural/Fusion Stage which never fails to give the crowd a taste of the islands, all hosted by Susan Davis aka Dr. Sue. This year's theme was "Jamaica 55" and it featured some of DMV's most talented entertainers, authors, and performers showcasing their love and appreciation of Jamaica such as Hyacinth Swaby-Holder the author, "My Papa Used to Say," a book filled with Jamaican proverbs. The Braata Folk Singers performed songs and interactive games reminiscent of old-time Jamaica, taking the audience down memory lane. The entertainment intensified once local favorites Ras Slick and Image band turned up the heat on the Main Stage. Host and Comedian, Ragashanti kept the crowd engaged with his humorous comments as he introduced the acts. He shared MC duties with DC's own Tony Carr. DJ Ricky Platinum, DJ G-Nice and ABlazin Radio DJs made sure there wasn't a dull moment during band change, keeping the crowd pumped up in between performances.

Patrons relaxed and found shade while enjoying their jerk meals but soca's royal couple Bunji Garlin and Fay-Ann Lyons got the crowd up and moving, as they brought the carnival energy to the Jerk Festival performing songs like 'Big Bad Soca' and 'Girls.' Soon after, Romain Virgo rocked the stage by performing a collection of hits and introduced the crowd to his latest single 'Now'. Queen Ifrica wowed festival attendees with a stellar 45-Minute set where she encouraged unity through her songs and empowered the women with a motivational speech. Tarrus Riley concluded the show with a slew of songs from his vast music catalog and with the support Dean Fraser horns of steel the audience couldn't get enough, especially when Tarrus Riley called the Queen back on stage to close out the show together. The performances were only one aspect of the lively 9-hour day. Patrons enjoyed tasting the various vendors such as T&G Flavors, Hellshire Style Fish, Jamrock Jerk, Southern Caribbean, Rick's Cafe and much more. The Reggae Music Journey Exhibition has developed into one of the festivals favorite elements, where Patricia Chin, founder of VP Records, and owner of Riddim Driven Clothing, greets fans of the culture and take them through the Reggae experience at VP Records.

The Jerk Cook-off Pavilion featured cooking demonstrations and tastings by Chef Andre Fowles, winner of Food Network's Chopped Champion and Chef Irie, host of Taste The Islands television show on PBS. Washington DC's own Chef Giovanni Merle showcased one of his tasty recipes and soca sensation Fay Ann Lyons took home the Dutch Pot Trophy after winning the Celebrity Quickfire Challenge where she competed against WJLA ABC News anchor, Michelle Marsh.

Mayor of DC, Muriel Bowser, made a special appearance and addressed the audience, sharing her excitement for having the jerk festival in DC for the 2nd year in a row. "I am happy to have the Grace.

The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival, DC is presented by the Institute of Caribbean Studies and produced by Jamaican Jerk Festival NY, LLC in association with VP Records.

Father of two, Chris Martin is enjoying life with new(ish) girlfriend, Brittny Newman. Yes, the same one who a study architecture and who social media did drag when Chris reveal her wha day yah.

Well, haters, Chris doan care what oonu haffi seh cause him and she fly out go a St Lucia wha day yah and...who in love like dem?

Oonu memba when Chris did post this to her and mash up everybody head?

"It's ur special day today...Enjoy it and I pray the almighty will continue to bless u and keep u safe as ur soul grows more beautiful everyday," he wrote. "I'm happy for ur existence and even happier u r apart of my life...Happy birthday."

More than 50 artists including One Direction, Robbie Williams, Stormzy, Rita Ora and Jessie J gave their time to record vocals for the fundraising cover version of Simon & Garfunkel's classic song in aid of those affected by the tragedy.

Simon Cowell 's star studded charity single raising money for all those affected by the devastating Grenfell Tower fire has been released.

Its accompanying video will premiere on Wednesday evening on ITV before Coronation Street airs.

More than 50 artists including One Direction's Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Robbie Williams, The Who's Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, Stormzy , Rita Ora, Jessie J and Pixie Lott gave their time to record vocals for the fundraising track.

Social media fave, Facebook Hero has released a stern diss track which takes pointed aim at confused Dancehall artiste Khago.

FB Hero, who has moved up the food chain and is now not just a social media sensation, but also an artiste, used his Instagram account over the weekend to release the diss track.

Of course, it was seen as a direct response to Khago's recent single dissing up all the bloggers and vloggers including Rawpa Crawpa, SouFloTv, CMR TV, Dr Love and Facebook Hero after they criticized his new 'freaky songs.'

Khago's "Come Inna Mi Place" single is said to be supporting oral sex, and many persons want nothing to do with both Khago and the controversial song.

A US trial for 10 defendants in a multimillion-dollar Jamaican lottery scam case has been delayed until early next year.

US District Judge Dan Hovland rescheduled the trial that was to begin July 17 in federal court in North Dakota to January 22, 2018, after one of the suspects' attorneys said he had a conflict next month and also needed more time to prepare.

Federal prosecutors didn't object to the change. US Attorney Chris Myers anticipates the trial might last as long as three weeks.

A total of 15 people are charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering in the scam that authorities said bilked at least 90 mostly elderly Americans out of more than US$5.7 million. The suspects could face decades in prison if convicted.

Nine of the 10 suspects facing trial are Jamaicans who pleaded not guilty earlier this year. They include Lavrick Willocks, who authorities allege was the mastermind. The tenth suspect is a US citizen who pleaded not guilty in August 2015.

Two of the remaining five suspects are in custody in Jamaica awaiting extradition, and three remain fugitives.

Authorities have dubbed the case "Operation Hard Copy," a reference to lists of prospective victims' contact information used by scammers. North Dakota authorities began investigating in 2012, starting with the case of a Harvey woman who lost her life savings of more than US$300,000 to the scam. The probe involves the FBI, the US Postal Inspection Service and the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs.

The police are reporting that a major operation in the Kingston Western Division on Thursday, led to the arrest of three wanted men and three persons of interest -- one of whom was wanted for questioning in relation to the murder of two people and the injuring of another at the Coronation Market in downtown Kingston -- on Wednesday.

The man, whose identity is being withheld, was nabbed during an operation that began about 4:00 am and spanned several communities to include Tivoli Gardens, Golden Heights, Pink Lane, Charles Street and Hannah Town.

Two other persons of interest were also arrested during the operation.

One of the men is wanted for questioning in relation to the murder/shooting on Metcalfe Street. The other is wanted for questioning in relation to a murder in the Kingston Central Division.

Additionally, three men who were wanted for various offences including robbery and shootings were also arrested, while another three were arrested on warrants.

Thursday night, 11-year-old Taysha Hughes, also called Angel,a student of the Holy Family Primary Schoolwas murdered in Central Kingston in a hail of bullets.

Now, the Police are theorizing that her killing was a reprisal for the shooting death of alleged don, Nicholas Malcolm, in the community.

The police were reportedly processing the scene where Malcolm and a 12-year-old boy had been shot on Wildman Street about 10: 00 pm, when they were summoned to a second shooting on the nearby Fleet Street about 10:30pm.

They found Taysha along with four men suffering from gunshot wounds.One of the men, identified as 26-year-old Richard Allen otherwise called 'Finey', was wearing a mask, the police said.

Reports are that the girl was reportedly among three men standing on Fleet Street, when they were attacked by masked gunmen.

The police speculate that Allen was one of the attackers and was shot by his cronies.

The Court of Appeal on Friday morning dismissed the appeal brought by former People's National Party (PNP) president Portia Simpson Miller and four other party functionaries in the Trafigura case.

The decision was announced by Appeal Court President Dennis Morrison.

This paves the way for Mrs. Simpson Miller, PNP Chairman Robert Pickersgill, Regional Chairman Phillip Paulwell, former General Secretary Colin Campbell and businessman Norton Hinds to answer questions in open court.

The issue surrounds a $31 million donation made to the PNP by the Dutch firm Trafigura Baheer in 2006.

This raised questions regarding possible undue influence being exerted by the company which was seeking to do business with the Government of Jamaica at the time of the donation.

Eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt will run the 100 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco on July 21, organisers announced on Wednesday.

The Jamaican sprinting legend is competing in his final season before retirement and will use the Monaco event as a warm-up for the world championships in London that start on August 5.

The world-record holder (9.58sec) won his first race of the year in Kingston earlier this month in 10.03sec, and is also due to run in Ostrava on June 28.

Bolt, who has won three Olympic 100m-200m doubles, will only compete in the 100m for his farewell at the worlds.

The 30-year-old saw his tally of Olympic gold medals reduced from nine to eight earlier this year, when the Jamaican team were stripped of their 2008 4x100m medals after Nesta Carter's disqualification for doping.

The police are reporting that wo females are in custody following the seizure of a M16 assault rifle, two magazines and 31 rounds of ammunition on Commission Road in Rockfort, Kingston yesterday.

And many persons are gleeful that finally women are being held for crimes and criminality. The general consensus is that women (sot these two specifically, but women in general) have long been enablers for gunmen who kill at will.

"They should be shown no mercy by the Courts as a strong message needs to be sent that the desire to eat a food is no justification for being an enabler of criminality which is exactly what these women are doing," one person commented on social media.

"I hope after thorough investigation, they are found guilty and or they give up their men.... and all are locked away. Time for this slackness to stop.. All these so call bad men don't live in silos, their female companion are aware of there dealings. LOCK THEM UP...", another person has commented.

While a third sums it up thus: "Yes!! Lock them up, question them thoroughly, they knew about them. These are the types of mothers, sisters, babymothers, etc..whom are aiding and abetting these notorious criminals. They too, shall get some serious sentences, especially, if there are any 'bodies' on these arms! Time for the justice department to start use these female "hoodlums" as examples. I am telling you, THEY KNEW ABOUT THEM!!! Lock them up!!!!!"

According to reports from the police, during a special operation about 5:30 pm, a premises was searched and the firearm and ammunition found in the ceiling of a room.

The females, whose identities are being withheld pending further investigations, were subsequently arrested.

A grade nine student at the Norman Manley High School in St Andrew was stabbed in the back by a Grade 11 student who should not even have been at school, reports say.

The injured boy was rushed to hospital where he was admitted in a serious but stable condition, while his attacker, an older boy, fled the compound.

"This morning, a Grade 11 student, who should not even have been at school, came here and stabbed a Grade 9 boy in the back," said principal Adaire Powell-Brown.

"It seems to be an attack that was carried over from an altercation between the two some time ago away from the school. So it was rather strange that he would follow the young man here to commit the act," added Powell-Brown.

The principal lamented that despite efforts geared at instilling discipline and respect in the daily lives of her students, some would rather subscribe to uncaring and violent ways to exact revenge.

GROOVIN' - TURNING A DAY IN THE PARK INTO A MAGIC CARPET RIDE

NY: Groovin' In The Park is New York City's premier reggae and R & B concert taking place this Sunday in Roy Wilkins Park in Queens. The outdoor event is celebrating its seventh renewal, and over the years Groovin' has attracted a dazzing array of the finest available talent in both genres. Beres Hammond, Jimmy Cliff, Steel Pulse, Bob Andy, Morgan Heritage, Chronixx, Mavado, Toots, John Holt, Beenie Man, Stitchie and many other luminaries have blazed the reggae stage. On the R & B and pop side, the stage has been set on fire by Michael Bolton, Air Supply, Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Babyface, Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle, Billy Ocean, Brian McKnight and Boyz 11 Men.

But while the Groovin' talent list is unmistakably superlative year after year, another powerful attraction of the festival are the luxurious and thoughtful considerations that come with the Groovin' experience. For starters, this Sunday will be in the soul-warming 80s and a generous supply of bottled cold water will be distributed to attendees in the general admissions section. Attendees will have not just a choice of Jamaican food items but health-conscious culinary treats will be served up from cuisines from around the world. And almost a hundred portable bathrooms including fifteen outfitted for the handicapped will ensure that a visit to the restroom is never a 10K marathon on Sunday.

The VIP section of Groovin' will take on the posture of a tropical island with designers incorporating vibrant Caribbean colors in various sections that they have created in the park. Each VIP attendee will be supplied with two hot meals plus unlimited beverage while they jam to the sweet nostalgic sounds of Busy Signal, Freddie McGregor, Tarrus Riley, Ken Boothe, Leroy Sibblies and U Roy.

And in the VVIP luxury suites, a day in the park will become a blissful magic carpet ride. A limited number of elevated sky boxes will offer the prefect optics for viewing the pied piper of R & B, R Kelly and songbird and Grammy winner Stephanie Mills. An all-inclusive, unlimited gourmet experience against a backdrop of plush over-sized sofas, high ball tables and Ottoman chairs will make the Groovin' experience feel like more than a luxury resort. Each sky-suite will be provisioned with a bountiful basket of fresh fruits, and after the mouthwatering nouvelle Caribbean cuisine, VVIP guests can savor sweet delights like Sabrina's rum cake and sorrel cheese cake. The VIP and VVIP bathrooms will be spacious and self-flushing with attendants offering toiletries and fragrances by leading designer brands. Additionally, a round-the-clock janitorial crew will ensure that the entire venue is impeccabl e.

"My friends and I look forward to Groovin' In The Park every year", Myrna Merchant, a former banker and executive administrator in New York told Images Newsletter. "We love the music, but we also come for the natural mystic and the overall Groovin' experience which is priceless...it is a fabulous vibe session and reunion for family, friends, school mates and colleagues", she affirmed.

Chef Patrick

Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival; A Delicious Fun-Filled Experience

Queens, NY - Every Summer, for the last seven years, thousands have eagerly flocked to Roy Wilkins Park in Queens, to enjoy a sizzling day of mouthwatering jerk foods, cooking contests, celebrities, cultural performances, reggae, soca and dancehall music at the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival. This annual celebration of Caribbean culture will take place on Sunday, July 23 and promises an exciting entertainment package of top-tier performers delivering another delicious fun-filled experience.

"We have upped the ante this year and have signed Grammy Award winning reggae group, Morgan Heritage to perform on the Main Stage," said an exciting Eddy Edwards, one of the Managing Partners of Jamaican Jerk Festival NY, LLC, who is totally psyched about the upcoming event. "This is our 7th year in New York and we are planning to make it a memorable festival with an out-of-this-world experience for our patrons." Known to deliver only the best for the largest Caribbean Food Festival in the United States, Edwards is making a promise he plans to definitely keep.

Morgan Heritage's long list of hits sets the stage for a singalong segment, as their fans will certainly join them in song when they perform. Also scheduled to appear is Barrington Levy, another artist with an extensive catalogue of hits as well as Konshens, one of dancehall's constant hitmakers since serving notice in 2012 with the release of his hits Gal A Bubble, Do Sum'n and Pull Up to Mi Bumper. Soca sensation Alison Hinds will add more spice to the main stage concert and with support from Platinum Kids, Ragashanti and Dubmaster Chris patrons can expect the cool Jerk Festival vibe they have come to know and love.

It will be fierce competition in the Cook-Off Pavilion as chefs and celebrities will battle for top honors. Celebrity and Corporate Executive Chef of BB King's, Chef Wenford Patrick Simpson will be on hand to wow festivalgoers with his culinary delights.

The Cultural Stage will fire up early with performances by storyteller and comedian Blakka Ellis, Dr. Sue, and Braata Folk Singers with traditional folk performances. Rising stars Dylan, ShaMain and Yoncia will be sure to impress patrons with noteworthy performances.

Patrons will roam the extensive food court feasting on a variety of foods, visit Arts & Crafts vendors, Corporate Row featuring sampling and giveaways as well as the Kidz Fun Zone. Year after year, jerk lovers attend this all-encompassing festival seeking out the best jerk foods, friends they haven't seen in forever and a multitude of events that offer something for everyone - from the gates open at 12 p.m. till the headliner closes the Main Stage at 8 p.m.

Advanced tickets to the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival NY are available online at www.jerkfestivalNY.com or at selected retail outlets in the tri-state area. Children 10 and under are admitted free.

ROOSEVELT FIELD TO HOST IRIE FASHION RAVE

A Caribbean Experience Weekend

GARDEN CITY, NY - Roosevelt Field is thrilled to announce that it will host the Irie Fashion Rave, a Caribbean Experience Weekend, in partnership with Caribbean Media Group on Saturday, July 8th from 10 a.m to 9 p.m. and Sunday, July 9th from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in North Court.

The Irie Fashion Rave weekend event will be filled with Caribbean cultural elements sourced directly from the Caribbean islands. Shoppers will enjoy fun and colorful presentations of ready-to-wear fashion, food, art, music, travel, and much more in a festive setting without leaving Long Island. "We are delighted to host a weekend filled with Caribbean entertainment in partnership with Caribbean Media Group," said Nancy Gilbert, Director of Marketing at Roosevelt Field. "We look forward to bringing the community together to celebrate Caribbean culture and to continue to provide unique experiences for our shoppers."

Sponsor, Jamaica Tourist Board will be giving away a hotel stay in Jamaica at the event as well.

"The vision for Irie Fashion Rave has always been to highlight and showcase Caribbean fashion and culture to the world," Syntyche' Clarke, Executive Vice President at Caribbean Media Group said.

"When you look at international fashion or listen to mainstream music, there is no question that it is heavily influenced by our Caribbean culture. What we are doing at Irie Fashion Rave is really accentuating and celebrating where it all came from."

VP Records announces the completion of a new album deal with Grammy(R) winning R&B artist Estelle. The full length reggae album is scheduled for a fall 2017 release. The first single, 'Love Like Ours' featuring reggae star Tarrus Riley is available June 16th with a music video to follow.

'Love Like Ours' gives fans a first taste of the upcoming album that will showcase the pivotal influence reggae music has had on the London, England born singer. Raised in a religious, Senegalese/ Grenadian household, Estelle's musical upbringing included a variety of Afro-Caribbean, Gospel, Hip-Hop and dance styles with a healthy dose of reggae music.

Since 2008 and the release of the crossover radio hit "Come Over" featuring reggae star Sean Paul and produced by Supa Dups (Sean Paul, Drake, Party Next Door), fans have been encouraging Estelle to record a reggae album. This project will bring their desires to life with a unique fusion of lover's rock, afro beats and dancehall flavors anchoring her soulful, R&B vocals. "When I told some friends about doing this album" said Estelle, "they were like - 'finally!'" She continued, "everyone who knows me, understands the deep connection I have to reggae music." Estelle has joined forces with Supa Dups again on this project and her fans excitement for the full album is brewing.

Estelle has shown a wide and expanding range of talent and with this album, will complete the musical circle, showcasing one of her earliest musical influences. The singer concluded, "I'm happy to give the people what they have been asking for and I'm proud to share another piece of my life and art with the world."

VP Records and B.B. Kings Blues Club present a night of international roots reggae and dub, celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the historic U.K. reggae label, Greensleeves Records. On Wednesday, June 21st, the legendary BB King Blues Club in Times Square, New York will host Italian born reggae star Alborosie, in his first New York concert performance. Queen Ifrica, the roots reggae diva will headline with her full band, as she embarks on a U.S. tour to promote her recent #1 album "Climb." Musician / producer Addis Pablo will perform a tribute to his late father, dub reggae legend Augustus Pablo, whose work was closely associated with the Greensleeves label internationally. A special sound system presentation from New York favorites, Deadly Dragon Sound with Scratch Famous, Jonny Go Figure and Selector JD will kick off the evening's activity.

Greensleeves Records was founded in 1977 by Chris Sedgwick and Chris Cracknell. The label developed the talents of legends Yellowman, Barrington Levy, Shabba Ranks, Beenie Man, Mr. Vegas, Shaggy, Vybz Kartel, Elephant Man and more. Their work with domestic and international artists helped develop the reggae genre in the U.K. and Europe and set a standard for presenting the music and culture with quality and respect. Greensleeves nurtured the music in Europe from dub plate to download. The label was purchased by VP Records in 2008.

Multiple album projects are scheduled to commemorate the Greensleeves anniversary including.

Veteran reggae hit maker and Big Ship captain Freddie McGregor will be honored by the City Of Mt Vernon, New York with the "Key To The City" for his outstanding contribution to the reggae industry. The presentation to McGregor will be made on Sunday, June 25 at Roy Wilkins Park in NY. The announcement was recently made by Mt Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas.

"Thanks to Mayor Thomas, I will receive one of the highest honors a person can receive, the Key to the City," McGregor said when he got the news.

For Freddie, the award has added significance given it is from a city in Westchester County, New York with strong Jamaican/Caribbean roots.

Jamaican born, Ronald Blackwood who lived in Mt Vernon, became the first African-American who was elected mayor in New York state. Judge Sam D. Walker, who was born in Kingston, served as a City Court Judge in Mt Vernon before he was elevated to Supreme Court judge in New York state. Jamaican rapper Heavy D lived in Mt Vernon for many years. I feel lucky to be honored by a city where Jamaicans have broke barriers and shown how immigrants can live the American Dream," he said.

Known worldwide for his riveting reggae ballads, McGregor recorded his first big hit "Why Did You Do It" with Ernest Wilson in the late 60s. In 1983 he mined gold with "Big Ship" which broke into the top ten of the reggae charts in England and Jamaica. Since then he has amassed an impressive catalogue of popular hits.

McGregor will head to New York this week where he will join a dazzling galaxy of R&B and reggae stars including R Kelly, Stephanie Mills, Busy Signal, Tarrus Riley, Ken Boothe, Leroy Sibbles and U Roy with Lloyd Parks & We The People Band at Groovin In The Park 2017 that takes place at Roy Wilkins Park.

It was a case of "there's no sunshine when you're gone, when the funeral service for veteran Reggae singer, Frankie Paul was finally held last Saturday. It was a somber service in which tears rolled down the cheeks of some inside the church, even as the raine poured on the outside.

As it is with many of the funerals within the entertainment fraternity, it was not well attended, but the important thing is that those for whom Frankie Paul's friendship was an important thing, were present at his final send-off.

Among those in attendance were reggae singer, Luciano, who stated that Frankie Paul helped him a lot during the early days of his career and so he had to be there; Half Pint; George Nooks, the only reggae singer who can be guaranteed to attend the funeral services of not only his colleagues, but also that of their relatives; Minister Babsy Grange, Copeland Forbes, Charlie Chaplin and Bongo Herman. .

George Nooks, as usual, lent his vocals to the proceedings, so too did Luciano and Half Pint, even as Frankie Paul's sister cried her heart out.

Frankie Paul, born Paul Blake,was later laid to rest at the Dovecot Memorial Park.

He passed away at the University hospital of the West Indies on May 18 following a battle with kidney disease.

On Friday afternoon, heavily armed men shot and killed a man moments after he left court where he was involved in a matter.

The deceased has been identified as Steven Malcolm, a senior member of the Nation Crocs gang that operates in Canterbury here in St James.

According to police Malcolm was shot about 11:30, shortly after he left court and was picked up by men in a motor car.

The police said that after going through the traffic light on Howard Cooke Drive the vehicle stopped on Queens Drive, where Malcolm reportedly got out to talk to men in a parked car, when heavily armed men alighted from another vehicle that was on the scene and peppered him with bullets. He was taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Frightened pedestrians ran in different directions for cover, while motorists sped away from the scene but soon created a large build-up of traffic in the congested city.

The shooters, in an attempt to elude the police who were quick on the scene, abandoned their motor car after it hit an embankment.

Camille Cosby, the longtime wife of Bill Cosby, reacted in a lengthy statement about her husband's sexual assault case ending in a mistrial on Saturday morning.

After six days of deliberation, the Pennsylvania jury were unable to render a unanimous verdict on any of the three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault with which Cosby had been charged.

"How do I describe the district attorney? Heinously and exploitively ambitious," her statement began. "How do I describe the judge? Overtly and arrogantly collaborating with the district attorney. How do I describe the counsels for the accusers? Totally unethical."

Cosby continued in her statement: "How do I describe many, but not all, general media? Blatantly vicious entities that continually disseminated intentional omissions of truths for the primary purpose of greedily selling sensationalism at the expense of a human life." The 73-year-old philanthropist, who's been married to "The Cosby Show" creator since 1964, added that "historically, people have challenged injustices."

Cosby then said she was "grateful to any of the jurors who tenaciously fought to review the evidence; which is the rightful way to make a sound decision." She added that his trial ending this way was a "manifestation of justice, based on facts, not lies." She also thanked her husband's attorneys "for their hard work" along with her staff "for their continuous commitment to our family and me."

Cosby ended her statement by thanking her family, friends and supporters "who never gave up on us, despite it all."

Cosby, who turns 80 next month, was subdued and seemed almost dazed when O'Neill declared the mistrial. The Hollywood icon left the courtroom without comment after sitting in his chair at the defense table for several minutes, simply gazing outward. At one point, counselor Angela Agrusa patted him on the shoulder.

He remains free on bail pending the new trial.

It took 52 hours for the predominantly white jury of seven men and five women to decide that it could not decide the case. "We, the jury, are deadlocked on all counts," said the note read by O'Neill on Saturday morning. Defense lawyer Brian McMonagle moved for a mistrial -- as he has done at numerous points during five days of deliberations -- but this time, O'Neill granted the request.

Lawyers in the Patrick Powell case in which he is accused of refusing to turn over his weapon to the authorities during the investigation into the fatal shooting of Khajeel Mais in July 2011 are to make final submissions on June 28.

The defence rested its case on Thursday morning in the St. Andrew Parish Court shortly after the businessman gave an unsworn statement. Powell denied allegations that he refused to turnover his gun to the authorities. He made quite a few headlines when he begged the Parish Judge Vaughn Smith to "have mercy" in deciding on matter.

However, interesting as that might be, what Yardflex finds intriguing is that RJR News is reporting that checks by them have revealed that that if convicted for the offence under the Firearms Act, Powell faces a maximum fine of J$400 or 12 months in prison!

Sooo, the honourable Babsy Grange is allowing prisoners to showcase their talents at the upcomng Jamaica 55 celebrations. But mums the word on whether or not our most famous prisoner, Vybz Kartel, will be among the favoured. One person in government says 'No', Miss Grange says that's a question that she will not answer.

So what's the real deal. Kartel or no Kartel for Jamaica 55?

We've heard rumblings that since Addi is has ben granted an appel, then somehow that disqualifies him from this special treatment. But, then again, could Kartel be granted special bail, pending his appeal? Buju was granted bail and was under some form of house arrest which his case was being appealed. But that is the US.

Allegations are that Minister Rupert Clarke helped himself to three sisters, with the youngest being just 13 years old.

It was disclosed at Monday's opening of the St. Elizabeth Circuit Court that Clarke has been charged with another count of having sex with someone under 16 years old.

The additional count is in relation to a 13 year-old girl who is the sibling of the two sisters with whom the 64 year-old Clergyman is also accused of having sexual intercourse.

Clarke, who was not present, is scheduled to appear in court on June 23 when it is expected that the prosecution will apply for the case to be transferred from St. Elizabeth to the Home Circuit Court in Kingston.

Clarke was taken into custody last December 28 by the St. Elizabeth Police after he was reportedly seen in a comprising position with a 15 year-old girl in a car along the Austin Main Road in the parish.

It is said that the love of money is the root of all evil and this played out in the murder of a Jamaican man by his US wife who had him killed so that she could cash in on a US$900,000 insurance policy.

The American ex-registered nurse in Brooklyn, New York has been convicted of hiring a hitman to murder her Jamaica-born husband in 2013 after two failed attempts at the victim's life. The gunman was also convicted of murder.

It took a jury less than three hours to convict 29-year-old Alishia Noel-Murray, for having her husband, 37-year-old Omar Murray, killed to cash in on nearly US$900,000 in life insurance claims. Jurors found Noel-Murray guilty of murder, attempted murder and weapon possession in the February 23, 2013 assassination of her husband.

Prosecutors said Noel-Murray plotted with her lover, Dameon Lovell, to hire a hitman for US$3,500 to kill Murray, so she could collect on three life insurance policies.

Lovell co-operated with prosecutors in exchange for 15 years to life in prison. It said the assailant, 29-year-old Kirk Portious, murdered Murray in their Lott Avenue, Brownsville, Brooklyn home.

Noel-Murray was convicted of first-degree murder following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog, and Portious was convicted by a separate jury of first-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Each defendant faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole when they're sentenced on June 29.

Controversial dancehall act, Khago....the man who seems rather confused as to his own identity and who has been labelled "freadky" says he used his poison pen to give vloggers a taste of hown bitter medicine.

Khago recently released a new single entitled "Kill Vlogger." The name says it all. The diss track lashes out against several social media personalities who criticized him and branded his singles "Long Gun Boy" and "Come Inna Mi Place" as freaky anthems. (Which they definitely are. So what's the prob?)

Formerly known for conscious songs such as "Nah Sell Out" Khago now dabbles with a lot of lyrics that are as far removed from his days of consciousness, as is his new, lockless, bleached out appearance.

Well, with the decision to kill vloggers, Khago his out at Facebook Hero, Rawpa Crawpa, SouFloTv, CMR TV and Dr Love. Khago says that these persons often only highlight the bad things about entertainers with an aim to effort to tear them down.

Jones & Jones Productions has announced the line-up for JAMBANA™ One World Festival, the Fun For The Family Festival now in its ninth year at Markham Fair Grounds, 10801 McCowan Road at Elgin Mills in Markham on August 6th and 7th, 2017.

With music as the core, this the two-day festival is designed to have fans rock and sway to classic and contemporary sounds, from yesterday and today. Roots to Dancehall, Lover's Rock, Soca, Calypso and Afrobeat, will pulse all day and friends and family of all ages can enjoy the JAMBANA™ experience which unfolds from 1-9:30PM on both Sunday and Monday.

Headlining JAMBANA™ One World Festival this year are Assassin, 'Greetings' creator Half Pint, and Lover's rocker, Wayne Wonder. Paying tribute to the late great Joseph Hill, reggae trio Culture, with his son Kenyatta Hill hit the stage as a stop on the 40th Anniversary Culture Tour. Josey Wales, the dancehall general and Heptones' Leroy Sibbles will keep the Entertainment Village rocking all day long. Global reggae ambassador and 5-time JUNO Award winner Exco Levi headlines the Canadian contingent which includes JUNO winner Nana McLean. Soca Monarch Ronnie McIntosh and Moses Revolution bring the Soca and Calypso vibes to keep round out the musical influences of the islands. Canadian Gospel Minister Marvia Providence with her full band and harmony singers will raise the spirits of JAMBANA™ goers who will celebrate thankfully as the spiritual pause tradition continues at the family festival

While bands switch over, DJs Metro Media from Jamaica, Britain's Lloyd Coxone and Germany's Sillywalks Discotheque will take the party from the stage to the grounds. Teen phenom Joshua Lucas is ready run with the legends as Andre DeGrasse sprinted with Usain Bolt. He represents Canada as one of the 'youngest and baddest' on the wheels of steel. JAMBANA™ Idol returns and will be sure to excite the audience again this year as we get a chance to witness future stars in the making. Registration for the JAMBANA™ Idol contest begins July 1st at JAMBANA.COM/IDOL and 2016 winner Al-Beeno will perform his hit "T.O.R.O.N.T.O" in the Canada 150 tribute, which kicks off both days of the festival.

Visitors to the two-day festival will experience the JAMBANA™ villages hearing, seeing, touching, tasting and learning as they rock to the rhythms of the African and Caribbean diaspora on the stage in the Entertainment village. Food, Health, VIP, Domino, Travel & Trade and Children's Villages enhance the JAMBANA™ experience and provide a little something for the entire family. The two players left standing as the winners of the annual 'Lick-A-Six' domino tournament will each win a trip to Jamaica. Fun meets you at every turn during this year's JAMBANA™ One World Festival.

General admission tickets are $20 in advance and are available now at www.ticketgateway.com. Tickets will be in outlets across the city as of June 25th.

Click on www.jambana.com for complete line-up, ticket prices, outlets and general information. Call 905-452-1911 for general information including sponsorship's and vendor opportunities (spaces are limited).

Inmates and juveniles in correctional institutions across the island will be showcasing their talents as part of the 'Jamaica 55' celebrations, however, according to the government, the most famous prisoner in Jamaica, Vybz Kartel, will not be part of the celebrations.

Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Senator Pearnel Charles Jr., explained that the inmates will be making their contributions through music, and other skill areas such as visual and culinary arts.

"I applaud the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport for its willingness to allow the inmates to showcase their talents and entertain Jamaicans and rebuild hope and trust," he said.

He said the move is in keeping with government's objective to "create space that encourages people's talents to flourish for our country's benefit, and inmates in correctional facilities are no different".

For the Independence celebrations, the adult inmates will be working with former Superintendent at the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Gladstone Wright, to produce music pieces in recognition of the Independence milestone. Senator Charles Jr. explained that Mr. Wright played a critical role in the development of the music programme in the correctional facilities.

Meanwhile, the youth offenders will be creating pieces for a competition and expo under the 'Jamaica 55' theme 'Celebrating Jamaicans at Home and Abroad'.

Four juvenile correctional institutions across the island are expected to display talents in areas such as mural design, animation, graphic design, fashion designing/tailoring, craft, the culinary arts, and agricultural science. The mural design that best captures the theme will be painted in all juvenile institutions as part of efforts to create child-friendly spaces.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Reggae Sumfest returns to Montego Bay this summer, for the 25th staging of the "Greatest Reggae Show on Earth." From July 16 - 21, the music festival, which draws thousands of reggae and dancehall fans from across the world, will see some of the genre's biggest names, including Sean Paul, Beenie Man and Sean Kingston. Other popular acts, like Alkaline, Mavado, Sizzla and Jah Cure, round out the lineup of over 30 artists.

In addition to enjoying this top-tier talent, visitors on-island for Reggae Sumest will also be sure to experience Jamaica's beautiful beaches, tasty cuisine and friendly people.

"Jamaica is proud to be the birthplace of reggae music, and just as proud to host Reggae Sumfest, giving music lovers an opportunity to enjoy some of Jamaica's greatest talent," noted Paul Pennicook, Jamaica's Director of Tourism. "Reggae Sumfest is an excellent time for travelers to come to Jamaica and immerse themselves in our culture - and after their experience, we're confident they'll become repeat visitors."

As one of Jamaica's most popular resort areas, Montego Bay has many accommodation options for Reggae Sumfest attendees. Below is a sampling of properties and current deals: The all-inclusive Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay offers a beachfront location, comfortable rooms and unlimited dining - ideal for guests looking to attend Reggae Sumfest. The hotel is currently offering a 4th night free when guests book the "Getaway Package" for a minimum four-night stay from Sundays and Thursdays. Rates start at $277.44 per person.

Half Moon Resort offers 10% off the best available rate for guests who book a minimum 4-night stay at least 14 days in advance, a great value for those revelers participating in Reggae Sumfest's weeklong lineup of parties and concerts. Guests will be awed by this iconic property in Montego Bay, which sits on 400 acres of tropical gardens and is bordered by two miles of beach. Rates start at $222.30 per room, per night. The deal also includes roundtrip airport transfers.

Round Hill Hotel and Villas' "Forever Summer" package gives guests one night free, plus a $100 resort credit, when they book a minimum three-night stay by June 30, 2017. The private and secluded Round Hill is set on a lush 110-acre peninsula just west of Montego Bay, making it a conveniently located home base for Reggae Sumfest patrons, while also providing a respite from the festival's activities when needed. Rooms start at $419 per room, per night. Additional taxes, service charges, blackout dates and other restrictions may apply for hotel packages.

Duppy Film heads a list of 13 men the police have named as Jamaica's most wanted. Duppy Film, whose real name is Marlon Perry,is believed to be involved in numerous crimes in Kingston and St. Thomas,his home parish, consisting of a string of murders which include those of two policemen in December 2015.

Police also listed Akeem Johnson, otherwise called Bubus Parks, from Spanish Town as another wanted for several counts of murders and shootings committed in St. Catherine. He is said to frequent Spanish Town, Portmore, Linstead and other areas in the parish.

Adrian Robinson, otherwise called Rasta of a St. James address is also wanted murders and other crimes in that parish.

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, has announced that the government will work with the Burrell family to plan the funeral of the late President of the Jamaica Football Federation, Captain Horace Burrell. Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Minister Grange said: "Our country owes Captain Burrell a huge debt of gratitude for his work.

"A committee has been established which includes the JFF, the staff of the Ministry of Sports, and his family to make those arrangements."

Minister Grange announced that the funeral service is to take place at the National Arena on Wednesday, June 28, 2017 beginning at 10am with a Tribute Concert followed by a Service of Thanksgiving, in keeping with the family's wish for a celebratory event.

Sean Paul is set to drop a brand new collaboration with Colombian Pop superstar Shakira titled "Mad Love," produced by David Guetta.

The single is set to be released on iTunes within the coming weeks, and will be reportedly the lead track for Sean Paul's upcoming debut project for new label Island Records.

Some of the Dancehall artist's biggest hits over the years have included collaborations, and the deejay is hoping this trend continues. He previously worked with superstars such as Beyonce, Blu Cantrell, Keyshia Cole, Kelly Rowland, and recently Sia for the Billboard chart topping "Cheap Thrills."

Forbes has released its list of the top 100 highest-paid entertainers and Sean "Diddy" Combs is top of the tree.

His earnings of $130m (£102m) pushed him up from last year's 22nd spot.

His success is down to his recent US tour, a marketing deal with a vodka company and selling one third of his Sean John clothing line.

Beyonce and JK Rowling took second and third spot, but women comprise just 16% of the world's top-earning celebrities.

Newcomers include Kylie Jenner, at number 59, who is the youngest list member at the age of 19. Her earnings come from her family's reality TV show - Keeping Up with the Kardashians - her namesake cosmetics company and clothing line, plus various endorsements.

Half of the top 10 are made up of musicians, while two athletes - Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and basketball star LeBron James - also make the cut.

Grammy award-winning rapper Combs used to be best known for best-selling albums such as No Way Out and Forever. But the entrepreneur's business interests have catapulted him into the big time, and he's jumped from number 22 in last year's list to nab this year's top spot. Queen Bey needs no introduction but she's made a big leap up the chart, from number 34 last year. That's largely due to profits from her Formation tour and her most recent album, the critically-acclaimed Lemonade. Her husband, Jay-Z, could only make number 55.

Reports are that American rapper/businessman Jay Z travelled to Jamaica recently and his mission was to record new music with Tidal co-owner Damian Marley and veteran recording artist sister Nancy.

The single will reportedly sample Sister Nancy's 1982 smash hit 'Bam Bam.' The three made rounds online Thursday after a photo surfaced, a video shoot in Jamaica is also in the works for the upcoming single.

According to sources, and a picture posted of the two, Jay Z also met with Christian Tavares-Finson who is also the brother of Jr. Gong - they share the same mother Cindy Breakspeare. Christopher just happens to be one of the lawyers for incarcerated dancehall artiste, Vybz Kartel.

The rumour mill is working overtime and spitting out stories that the meeting was to give Jay an update on the Kartel's upcoming appeal trial set for next year.

R&B Super Star Ashanti visited Jamaica for a performance at Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) however, all those journalists who thought they would get a chance to interview her, were out of luck as the diva refused to give interviews to local media.

Ashanti herself seemed to have enjoyed her trip to Jamaica and posted videos and pictures of her trip to the iconic Bob Marley Museum. The organizers of the event hyped up the show by posting a clip of the star doing sound checks Sunday afternoon, prior to her performance later that day.

Her performance (if it can truly be called that) closed a week of activities, and was supposed to have been the big night for CFW. However, while the crowd turned out to give their full support to the event, Ashanti's less than 10 minutes on stage was certainly less than satisfactory. In fact, it was rather shocking. Persons expected at least a 20-minute performance from the R&B act whose catalogue far surpasses that. Why bring Ashanti all the way from foreign to perform for a mere eight minutes?

Anyway, the performances from Dexta Daps on Friday, and African Pop star FUSE ODG on Saturday were certainly much to rave about and while Dexta went for the girls, FUSE, the unknown entity was definitely a man for all seasons.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has issued a bulletin to schools warning them against imposing unreasonable registration fees on students for the upcoming school year.

According to the ministry, registration packages should not be more than five thousand dollars.

At the same time, the ministry has now abandoned the term 'auxiliary fees' and replaced it with 'school support contribution'.

The Ministry insists that students should not be denied entry to schools because of their inability to pay school support contribution.

It says neither should the payment of school support contribution be a requirement for registration, graduation, examination, application to sixth form or access to any service at a public educational institution.

According to the ministry, schools must have discussions with their Parent Teacher Associations to determine reasonable amounts for school support contributions.

But it says before implemented, the ministry must first approve the amount.

At the same time, the ministry said it will partner with the National Parent Teacher Association of Jamaica to encourage all parents to pay school support contribution.

It says sixth form programmes will continue to attract tuition fees that will be set by the School Board and approved by the ministry.

Before & After: New Special Needs School

Your incredible generosity is a big step towards completing the construction of Rockhouse Foundation's current project, developing Jamaica's first public inclusion model Special Needs Early Childhood School. We are very grateful for the kindness and loyalty of so many supporters who enable us to continue 'transforming the places where children learn in Jamaica, and support the great people who teach them.'

Spring Dinner & Raffle

The Spring Dinner and Raffle drawing was held June 6th 2017 at the Rockhouse's sister restaurant in NYC, Miss Lily's, and was a great success raising over US$70,000. We are so grateful to all who supported the night, especially Rhy Waddington, Sam Whitford, Miss Lily's "Chopped Champion" Andre Fowles, and longstanding sponsor JetBlue, and musical guest Tara Harrison and Andrew MacIntyre who ended the night on the highest note.

Rockhouse Foundation

The Rockhouse Foundation, a New York based 501(c)(3), was established in 2003 to transform the places where Jamaica's children learn and support the great people who teach them. Since its inception, the Foundation has expended almost US$4 million building, expanding, renovating and modernizing five early childhood and primary schools, as well as the Negril Community Library. The Foundation's current project is the construction of the regions first Special Needs Early Childhood School. The Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that its contributions to education are meaningful and long-lasting, and supplements its building projects with ongoing facility maintenance and on-site support.

The Rockhouse Hotel and its owners underwrite all administrative expenses of the foundation, ensuring every cent of every donation goes directly to its projects and programs, positively impacting the lives of thousands of young people and their families.

The decomposing body of 24-year-old mother Shantel Dyer was discovered buried in a concrete vault at her home in Pee Wee Lane, Negril, Westmoreland, Wednesday evening.

However, the whereabouts of her three- year-old daughter, Orlandi Miller remains a mystery.

Dyer's body was removed from . Her common law husband, who is said to be in America, is being sought in connection with her murder and the disappearance of the child.

Before he left the island towards the end of April, the three lived together at the Negril home.

It is speculated that Dyer, who was said to have been in an early stage of pregnancy, was killed by her boyfriend who accused her of getting pregnant by another man.

The police confirm that acting on a tip that Dyer was killed, her mother contacted the law enforcers who subsequently destroyed the vault discovered in the house where they discovered the decomposed body, tightly wrapped in over 30 garbage bags and three white sheets.

The body was positively identified as that of Dyer's by family members by a tattoo.

According to http://blackdoctor.org/514411/so-why-are-women-putting-wasps-nests-in-their-vagina/, there are a number of sources that claim that wasp nests promises to single-handedly tighten and clean the vagina with the added bonus of preventing cervical cancer. The tradition hails from Southeast Asia and Malaysia, where women supposedly first used the nests after childbirth to restore the elasticity of the uterine wall.

The nests, also called oak galls, are formed when a gall wasp lays eggs in a tree's leaf buds as a home for the larva to develop. The chemical substance introduced by wasps to make the galls is what retailers claim can heal the uterine wall after childbirth, repair an episiotomy cut (a surgical procedure to prevent tearing during childbirth) when the paste of the galls is applied and also clean out the vagina. Also, any burning sensation is supposed to be "proof" of that it is a powerful astringent. I'm giving a serious side eye to that theory.

These things are being sold on sites like Amazon and Etsy. Because the tree regards the larvae as an irritant, it naturally creates a hard shell around it and the little worms inside feed off the growth until they can break free. Some holistic practitioners believe that once the oak galls are ground up and mixed into a paste or boiled and used as a vaginal wash, their astringent properties will tighten and firm the muscles of the vagina, and ultimately improve elasticity.

Meanwhile, doctors are cautioning against it, insisting that it can do more harm than good. A few such unpleasant side effects include painful sex due to dryness of the vaginal wall, the diminishment of healthful bacteria (which can lead to yeast infections) and, like all intravaginal practices, an increased risk of infections, including HIV.

Also, as far as experiencing vaginal burning when anything -- wasp nests or otherwise -- is applied, that's not generally a good sign."Here's a pro tip," says Dr. Jen Gunter, a gynecologist who wrote a blog post in response to the vaginal wasp nests. "If something burns when you apply it to the vagina, it is generally bad for the vagina." Gunter has likewise voiced concerns over other methods of "vaginal rejuvenation," including V-steaming (Gwyneth Paltrow's go-to) and herbal "womb detox pearls," which can lead to toxic shock syndrome.

Fired FBI Director James Comey kicked off the most watched political testimony in years by blasting the 'lies' told after President sacked him, blasting an administration he says chose to 'demean' him.

In his opening comments, he called out 'shifting explanations' that followed his firing, and specifically pointed to Trump's televised comment that he fired Comey because of the FBI's Russia investigation.

'The administration then chose to demean me and more importantly the FBI,' Comey complained at the top of his remarks.

'Those were lies, plain and simple,' he said.

He said he kept detailed records of his interactions with the president because he was 'honestly concerned that [Trump] might lie about the nature of our meeting.'

It was a contrast to the reviews he got from the president while he was in office. 'He had repeatedly told me I was doing a great job and he hoped I would stay.

In an early revelation, Comey stopped short of describing a conversation where Trump asked him to let go of an investigation into fired national security advisor Mike Flynn as obstruction of justice, which is a federal crime.

'General Flynn at that point of time was in legal jeopardy. There was an open FBI criminal investigation of his statements in connection with the Russian contacts and the contacts themselves,' Comey said.

'I don't think it's for me to say whether the conversation I had with the president was an effort to obstruct. I took it as a very disturbing thing, very concerning. But that's a conclusion I'm sure the special counsel will work towards, to try and understand what the intention was there, and whether that's an offense,' he said.

Comey explained why he kept detailed memos on his conversations and meetings with the president - something he said he didn't do with President George W. Bush and Barack Obama because there wasn't a need.

'I knew that there might come a day when I would need a record of what had happened, not just to defend myself but to defend the FBI and our integrity as an institution,' Comey said.

'I was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting, so I thought it really important to document,' he said.

Comey also explained how he interpreted Trump's statement in an unusual one-on-one meeting where he asked Comey to let the investigation of security advisor Mike Flynn go.

Jailed dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel has apparently been unaffected by this afternoon's fire at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre. Kartel is serving a life sentence there for murder.

According to reports, the fire affected the George Davis Centre, at the institution which was once known as the General Penetentiary, and is today still referred to as GP. The George Davis Centre houses the mentally ill. They were all relocated to a safe section of the prison.

As expected fans of the Gaza general, Vybz Kartel, took to social media expressing their concern for the deejay.

He was recently relocated to GP, after having served a portion of his sentence at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre. There was a national debate that Kartel had been recording songs while incarcerated at Horizon.

The police report that a man only known as 'Little Junior' of Barnes Road, Rockfort, Kingston who was listed as wanted on Sunday, has surrendered to the police.The police said Barrett's attorney escorted him to the police station today.

However, the police say two men are still left to turn themselves in.

Dwayne Barrett, also known as 'Nookie' also of Barnes Road, Rockfort in Kingston and Andrew Facey, otherwise called 'Andrew Phang' also of a Rockfort address in the parish are being advised to turn themselves in immediately.

According to police, Bartlett is said to frequent D'Aguilar Road, Glasspole Avenue and Shanty Town area of Rockfort, while Facey is said to frequent Adastra Road and La' Cruise Road also in Rockfort.

Anyone knowing their whereabouts is being asked to contact the Kingston Eastern Criminal Investigation Branch at 948-4200, police 119 emergency number, Crime Stop at 311 or 811 or the nearest police station. Persons can also share information with the police via the Stay Alert app.

Leader of the Opposition Dr Peter Phillips says he is saddened by news of the loss of Captain Horace Burrell.

"Jamaica will always remain grateful to Captain Burrell who, as the head of the Jamaica Football Federation, believed in the potential of our national players and took Jamaica's game to the global playing field," Phillips said in a release.

He noted that Burrell made a significant contribution to national development through football and the exposure of Jamaican players and he will be missed.

Burrell, who was 67 years old, died today. He was known to be battling cancer since last year.

The People's National Party is in mourning following the murder of one of their stalwarts, Maxine Simpson, the assistant to Karl Blake, the councillor for the Greenwich Town division in the St Andrew South West constituency of Portia Simpson Miller. Councillor Blake was shot and injured in the attack which left his female assistant dead.

Ms Simpson was killed in the attack around 8 p.m Sunday at their divisional office at Caribbean Palms off Spanish Town Road in Kingston.‎ Blake who received shots to his upper body was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery.

The police have yet to release details about the circumstances of the shooting.‎‎

In the meantime, several of Blake's colleagues in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation have taken to social media to extend support.

"Please pray for Councillor Karl Blake who was shot not long ago. Our prayers at the KSAMC (Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corpoation) are with him. Condolences go out to the family [of] Mr Blake's personal assistant," Mayor Delroy Williams tweeted.‎

Councillor, Duane Smith tweeted: "My deepest prayers for my colleague Karl Blake who was shot and injured and my sympathies to the family of his secretary who was killed."‎

Lady Ivy Cooke, an educator and the widow of former governor general, Sir Howard Cooke has died.

She was 100 years old.

The first announcement was made on Twitter this afternoon by former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller: "Just heard that Lady Ivy Cooke, widow of Sir Howard Cooke has passed. She is now reunited with the love of her life. Walk good Miss Ivy," Simpson Miller tweeted.

Reports are that Lady Cooke died at the Andrew's Memorial Hospital in St Andrew Monday afternoon.

Sir Howard died in July, 2014 at the age of 98.

The union produced three children - Justice Howard Cooke Jr, Richard and Audrey.

In a statement a short while ago, Prime Minister Andrew Holness hailed Lady Cooke for her contribution to education in Jamaica.

After a long period of silence, fans of deejay Buju Banton have finally heard from him. The incarcerated entertainer sent fans a poignant letter via Facebook on Friday, thanking them for their loyalty and pointing to a better future upon his release.

"To all of my fans who have stood beside me I thank you. Your actions, letters and heartfelt prayers have been appreciated. I thank you and am humbled by your kindness - I am with you and you with me. Always. After many years there were a multitude of my fans gathered on a page automatically generated from your search for me and my official page. With the approval of my official page you were migrated here...And at last we are reunited. I will be with you again soon - they may have the past and present ... but the future belongs to us. Bless..." he wrote.

Buju Banton, whose given name is Mark Myrie, is scheduled to be released from prison on December 8, 2018.

In a recent Instagram post curvy diva Yanique decided that there is a time for everything...and that was indeed the time to clown out her own self.

This is what she posted: "My little pumpkin ever flop me, after me feel all trendy in my dress with my breast all out and sexy," she wrote. "She just remind me that the main purpose of the breast is to feed them 😂😂😂😂😂 (I just called her Mom because my breast have no Milk just plastic)."

The events hostess and recording artiste clearly has a sense of humour and must have anticipated that someone on social media would have made a comment similar to that. So, before they said, she did.

Yanique 'Curvy Diva' Barrett is actually the mother of one, a daughter who she protects from the glare of social media. The child she was caring for was either a relative of the baby of a good friend.

Police have identified the three persons including a teenager who were murdered last night on Jones Avenue in Spanish Town, St. Catherine. Dead are 14 year old Travis Labbon, 43 year old Evette Bailey and 24 year old Mario Burkette otherwise called 'Rocky", all of Jones Avenue.

According to reports from the Spanish Town criminal investigation branch, CIB, explosions were heard in the community and the Police were summoned.

Upon the arrival of the lawmen, Labbon, Bailey and Burkette were seen with what appeared to be gunshot wounds to their heads in their home. A female who was also wounded was taken to hospital for treatment.

Persons with information are being asked to call the Police at 119, 811,311, 984-2874 or the nearest police station.

According to one Bible scholar, Pastor Onaolapo Ajibade: "The same pride and selfishness that brought Lucifer down from his lofty position as the head of all the angels would bring Babylon down from its position as the most powerful nation of the then world. It is proper then that inspiration introduces the fall of Lucifer in the context of the fall of Babylon.

Lucifer purposed in his heart: "I will be like the Most High" (v.14). That was pride at apogee!

Pride is the most insidious and dangerous of all sins. Every human being, whether saint or sinner, has some pride. To think I do not have it is proof that I am deceived. In the Church, people get dis-fellowshipped for adultery but not for pride, because pride is a "respectable" sin. But my guess is that more people will be excluded from heaven by pride than by any other sin.(Why did the Pharisees, in spite of overwhelming evidence, reject Jesus as the Messiah?) The only power that can break pride is the power of the Holy Spirit..

Isaiah Ch 14, 11 - 14

11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

"Pride is the most insidious and dangerous of all sins" Pride filled Satan's heart so completely and caused him to rebel against God.

Look at "The 5 I Wills" of Satan:

1) "I will ascend into heaven"

2) "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God"

3) "I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north"

4) "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds" is a reference to Satan's desire to rule the created universe.

5) "I will be like the Most High"

He lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden and is still using the same lie on men and women today: that they can become gods.

It is the same sin of pride that leads to rebellion still rear its ugly head in our own lives. There is an old saying goes, "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay." Each time we sin, we reinforce a pattern that becomes harder and harder to break. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse our sins.

Someone wrote in his bible: "This book will keep you away from sin, or sin will keep you away from this book."

The Donald Trump administration has rolled out a new questionnaire for U.S. visa applicants worldwide that asks for social media handles for the last five years and biographical information going back 15 years.

The new questions, part of an effort to tighten vetting of would-be visitors to the United States, was approved on May 23 by the US Office of Management and Budget. According to a Reuters report, critics argue that the new questions will be overly burdensome, lead to long delays in processing and discourage persons from travelling to the United States.

Under the new procedures, consular officials can request all prior passport numbers, five years' worth of social media handles, email addresses and phone numbers as well as 15 years of biographical information including addresses, employment and travel history.

A State Department official said representatives will request the additional information when they determine it is required to confirm identity or conduct more rigorous national security vetting. The State Department said the tighter vetting would apply to visa applicants who have been determined to warrant additional scrutiny in connection with terrorism or what it described as other national security-related visa ineligibilities.

While the new questions are voluntary, the form says failure to provide the information may delay or prevent the processing of an individual visa application.

Meanwhile, Reuters is reporting that immigration lawyers and advocates in the US have raised concerns about the new visa requirements. They stated that the request for 15 years of detailed biographical information, as well as the expectation that applicants provide all their social media handles, will likely catch applicants who make innocent mistakes or do not remember all the information requested.

President of the Iranian American Bar Association, Babak Yousefzadeh, says the new questions grant arbitrary power to consular officials to determine who gets a visa with no effective check on their decisions. He said the need for tightening the application process further is unclear.

High Times, the magazine that has chronicled the transformation of marijuana use from an underground vice to a major American business, said on Thursday that it had been acquired by a group of investors that includes Damian Marley, son of the reggae star Bob Marley.

The group, led by Adam Levin, the founder of the investment firm Oreva Capital, bought a controlling interest at a price that values the magazine at $70 million, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

In a news release, the new ownership group said it planned to expand the publication's audience and its events business.

"I think most would agree it was not executing business at max potential under the legacy framework established by the founders," Mr. Levin, who will become chief executive of High Times Holding Co., said in a statement. "We are going to build on the strong base they created to bring High Times from the authority in the counterculture movement to a modern media enterprise.

The magazine, which in January moved its headquarters to Los Angeles, had previously been owned by the New York-based Trans High Corp.

Mr. Marley, a reggae artist like his father, noted that he had started reading High Times in high school. "It is now an honour to be a part of the High Times legacy that I've been a fan of for so many years," he said in a statement.

The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade as a subversive record of the marijuana counterculture. Whereas Playboy centerfolds displayed buxom women, High Times centerfolds displayed beautiful buds. It offered how-to instructions for growing at home, and even advice on best practices for smuggling marijuana.

These days, as marijuana acceptance has grown and states continue to legalize its use, High Times balances lifestyle writing with more serious coverage of "ganjapreneurs" and the "cannabusiness."

Ariana Grande's upcoming concert One Love Manchester has sold out in just six minutes, organisers have announced.

The tickets went on sale at 10am on Thursday morning and by 10.11, they had tweeted that they were completely sold out.

Ariana also tweeted about the tickets, but was already too late.

The One Love Manchester concert is set to take place on Sunday June 4.

Ticketmaster said in a statement: 'Ticketmaster was unsurprisingly met with remarkable demand for One Love Manchester tickets we had on sale this morning - 140,000 fans were on the website and our call centre was buzzing.

'With over 450,000 searches on our site for One Love Manchester over the last 24 hours, demand was always going to be extremely high.

'We are happy to report that there are thousands of fans who successfully purchased tickets during the general onsale.'

Sean Paul is calling on Drake to give dancehall and Jamaican culture more homage.

It's no secret that Drake has taken such a liking towards dancehall culture that he recorded an entire album full of dancehall influenced singles. The album Views was the biggest selling album released by any artist last year and one of the biggest in decades release by a rapper. Last Year Sean Paul sound off on Drake saying that not only he was not the best rapper, but he doesn't make good dancehall music.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Hull, he claimed that the rapper should have given greater 'accolades' on the hit track - which was the best-selling UK single of 2016.

He said: 'I think at the time when it was popping off, it would have been good for him to actually put accolades towards the whole culture.

'He's friendly with a few people in the business in Jamaica and that's good, I love it.

'But if he had given more accolades when he was actually making it and said "this is the music I love", it would have been cool.'

Bringing Ed Sheeran into the debate, he added: 'Ed Sheeran has done one song that is huge and it's dancehall reminiscent.

'But that is one song, he [Drake] had an album full of dancehall so I think he should have paid a bit of an accolade and told people in the press that is where I'm coming from, I have a love for that music.'

The dancehall legend also spoke about hearing the patter of tiny feet after welcoming his first child, son Levi Blaze, with wife Jodi Stewart in February.

'It's been three months now and I'm getting the daddy muscles!', he joked.

'A lot of stuff has changed, but it's only for the better. He's brought light into our lives and we're really thankful."

And when it came to his own music, he teased a forthcoming collaboration with Shakira - having previously worked with the likes of SIA and Little Mix in recent years.

He said: 'I just released a new song with Migos that is about to pop off on radios, big up to them!

'I'm also looking forward to dropping a single with Shakira, it's being mixed right now!'

The raunchy, run-things female dancehall star, Spice, had quite an experience on stage at the Bayfront Park, in Miami, Florida over the weekend. A woman jumped on stage and proceeded to dagger..yes DAGGER... Spice good and proper. And Spice appeared to enjoy it all.

So, will somebody please tell us what a gwaan? Wha really a gwaan inna dancehall?

A 76-year-old retired parish council worker from Trelawny, on Tuesday took home a cheque for a whopping $117 million which was his total for winning a share of the June 16 Super Lotto.

The pensioner, identified only as W Gordon from Granville near Falmouth, tried his best to disguise himself by putting on a red, green and gold tam with hanging locks covering his face. The locks are fake, however, as Mr Gordon says he is a Christian.

According to that he is a devout Methodist who attends church in Falmouth and believes that God had a hand in his luck.

Interestingly, in an interview with another site, Mr Gordon says almost missed out on his super blessing, $117 million prize, after a friend provided him with the incorrect draw results.

"I bought my ticket days before the draw, around Wednesday, and I didn't check my numbers same time. I asked someone to give me the draw numbers but the ones he gave me were wrong.

But Gordon, a Trelawny resident who has been an avid Lotto and Super Lotto player for over 10 years, had a hunch to check the numbers himself. He was right. And the rest is history.

Hundreds of persons came out on Wednesday to pay their final respects to the late president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Captain Horace Burrell, at a Thanksgiving Service at the National Arena in Kingston.

Several persons paid tribute to Captain, among them Bruce Gaynor, JFF's vice president; Brazilian Rene Simoes, former Reggae Boyz technical director; Canadian Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF and vice president of FIFA; Curacao's Rignaal Francisca, acting president of the Caribbean Football Union, Sports Minister Olivia Grange and Portia Simpson-Miller, former Prime Minister of Jamaica.

Musical tributes in songs were came from Ernie Smith, who did "I Believe", the Jamaica Constabulary Force choir, Richie Stephens who sang "My Way" and Ashe Assembly - the group performing "Rise Up", which was done to celebrate Jamaica's qualification to the World Cup in France 1998.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness read the first lesson, with Opposition Leader Dr. Peter Phillips doing the second, Burrell's friend Julie Jones the third and the fourth done by Captain Burrell's brothers, Carlton and Edward.Captain Burrell's close friend, Horace Reid, a former General Secretary of the JFF, did the eulogy.

Reverend Adinhair Jones gave the homily and he preached about the resurrection, with Al Miller, who worked closely with Captain Burrell during his tenure as president of the JFF, prayed for the family.

The National Arena was transformed into the national colours of black, green and gold and Captain Burrell's casket was draped with a flag of Jamaica.

The Combined Military Band was also a vital part of the service and their duties included playing the National Anthem at the beginning of the service.

Captain Burrell led the JFF from 1994, excepting for a four-year period. After ailing for the past year, Captain Burrell passed away on June 6 at the John Hopkins Oncology Centre in Baltimore, USA, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer. He was 67.

The case of the American woman on trial for informing a crew of seven Jamaican-born men, suspected to be drug-dealers, about an investigation being conducted by her former husband, who is a police detective, and his team is rather interesting. The woman pleaded guilty in court in the US and faces a maximum punishment is 20 years in federal prison and a fine of US$250,000.

According to a report from the SunSentinel, the defence for Porsha Session, 31, said she acted naively to retaliate against her then-husband because he was cheating on her. Federal authorities said that her actions compromised the undercover investigation and an insider informant who was secretly working with them was "outed" and the man died of a gunshot wound a short time later under suspicious circumstances but was officially ruled a suicide, US media reported.

SunSentinel also stated that Session's defence attorney Fred Haddad said that there was no evidence to suggest she was aware of the potential consequences and recommended that she be sentenced to house arrest, partly because she has no prior criminal history. However, prosecutors said that because Session was married to a police, she should have known the potential dangers and that she was putting others at risk, adding that she deserves a much harsher punishment than the 15 to 21 months in prison recommended by sentencing guidelines.

Session admitted that she snooped in her now ex-husband's work email and discovered memos that contained sensitive information about the investigation, the suspects and an informant who was working for agents inside the group.She pleaded guilty to federal obstruction of an official proceeding - a grand jury investigation - and admitted she made six phone calls to one of the suspected drug dealers and warned him that an insider was helping law enforcement, SunSentinel outlined.

The undercover investigation, which started in October 2012, was focused on a "crew" of seven Jamaican-born men suspected of operating a significant drug-dealing business in the Lauderhill and Fort Lauderdale areas, prosecutors Jeffrey Kaplan and Paul Schwartz said.

The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says it has written to Digicel requesting an explanation on the company's decision to start charging a prepaid maintenance fee (PMF) to customers whose monthly spend falls below $50.

The OUR, in a release this morning, said it also wants Digicel to provide evidence that it had provided customers with sufficient advance notice; the exact amount to be charged; and the basis of such a charge.

Digicel has been asked to respond to the OUR's queries by Friday.

OUR said it received a letter dated June 23, 2017 from Digicel, advising that the purpose of the PMF is to ensure that all customers adequately contribute to the cost of operating and maintaining their accounts on its systems and networks, in circumstances where they spend less than $50 within a calendar month.

This new measure took effect on Thursday, June 22.

In its response, the OUR noted that while Digicel has updated its terms and conditions on its website with the PMF (clause 10.4), there is no indication of when its customers were notified, if indeed they were notified at all.

The OUR also expressed its disappointment that Digicel had not notified the regulator of this new fee prior to implementation.

This is an all too familiar issue with Digicel prepaid customers - The Case of the Missing Credit. And when you call, the same old, boring LIAD tales - 'Your Data Was On and it reserved some of the credit."

"No mam/Sir, my Data is OFF!'

Here, one customers lays out his case in an online comment and we can all relate,. Please read

"TS • 5 hours ago

They (Digicel) should also be questioned about the missing credit from customers accounts they claimed was used by data service and worse sending one sms and been charged for four. Finally experienced the missing credit phenomenon and when called them was told i used data. This is despite for the entire time period i didn't use any form of mobile data and was only on wifi.

What made it worse was that same day in the early morning i tried to make a call and couldn't get through to the person, then sent them a text which right after got multiple notifications about free text, with last one saying to send one more to get free text. Checked credit and saw they charged me for four text despite only sending one. Less than an hour later made a call for nearly a minute, however never checked my credit afterwards, until in the afternoon tried to make a call only after about 10 seconds to hear that i need to top up to continue making calls.

When finally got through to a csr later on, i was told it was because i used data for over five minutes during the time period of early morning when i sent the text they overcharged for. Which is extremely weird since I'm well versed in technology especially the aspect of hardware and software for mobile devices and even computers. During that entire period mobile data wad never turned on and only wifi was used, which was verified when check phones data usage, which showed for that time period no form of mobile data was used for the entire day and the last time mobile data was used was over three days before the incident.

Even for the text overcharged they tried to claim i might have sent multiple text, despite the person i text more than once verified they only received one short text from me. The data usage was also further proven to be a lie, by the fact how i could use data for over five minutes, yet no trace of it shows up in monitor software on device, along with data was never turn on, the amount they claimed i used for data is nearly the same amount i had left after they charged for multiple text instead of one, yet was able to make a call for nearly an entire minute and still had credit left to make an further call for over 10 seconds in the after after they had taken credit from my account.

Incidents like these need to be investigated, because not all incidents where they claim data was used is true and it isn't hard have the software governing account info to randomly remove credit from accounts and record it had data, despite the owner of the account having never used data."

Sources close to former Downsound Records singer says Ishawna would've been a better fit for the job as she made the brand a lot of money last month when she dropped her 'Equal Rights' singer however the company is afraid of taking risks.

"Goodie [Ishawna] was the better candidate but dem fraid because muma raw so i kinda understand how the business good," the source said. "More opportunities will come again but wi feel away nah guh lie but congrats to Shenseea same way a woman time now."

Below are some of the comments on Alkaline's video and the police's reactions:

"It's a movie...with props..no different than Jimmy Cliff in "The Harder They Come" ( as a matter of fact the gully scene can be viewed as a tribute to that great JAMAICAN cult film)

Are we saying that because this movie seeks to portray the current Jamaican reality, it is not fit for public digestion?"

"The open display of guns"...of course ..it's a movie.. gangster movies have guns...I'm sure the relevant permits/supervision/permissions were obtained. The director is one of the country's best...I'm sure he wouldn't jeapordise his reputation by not sticking to the rules."

"The police vehicle that was used...if it turns out to be an actual service vehicle..must have been authorised...let's see if any divisional Commander is going to be sanctioned.

And lastly...the "police woman" ....any body can see that the uniform is fake...."

The members of the police force are up in arms after Alkaline's After All video portrays them in a negative light. According to reports, the police are especially concerned about a sex scene featuring a female dressed as police constable, and also the presence in the video of what seems to be an official service vehicle.

Checks are now being made to ascertain if the vehicle is actually a part of the official fleet of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Also its understood that persons represented as cops will also be questioned.

Commissioner of Police George Quallo has reportedly ordered an immediate investigation into the video which shows individuals smoking ganja, brazenly toting guns, cursing, and interspersed with a sex scene.

According to one news outlet, as a result of especially the sex scene and the open carrying of guns featured in the video, many policemen and women are taking the position that they will not be carrying out any duties at events where Alkaline will be performing in the future.

Drink Brand Pepsi Jamaica has signed singjay Shenseea as its Brand Ambassador.

This signing was held at Pepsi Jamaica's Spanish Town Road headquarters in Kingston recently.

She joins fellow Pepsi ambassadors Busy Signal, who is the face and voice of the Joy of Pepsi campaign and Konshens who was apart of the brand's Pepsi Bubbla campaign.

The 20 year old fast rising sensation who emerged on the dancehall scene with the single Jiggle in 2016 and quickly rose to fame with hit track Loodi featuring Vybz Kartel, says she's grateful for the opportunity to work with the global brand.

She is now in Puerto Rico where it is expected that she will perform over the weekend.

Police say Hanover's most wanted man, Thirty-three-year-old Shernardo Leslie otherwise called "Blacks" was fatally shot in an attack on the police on Friday.

Reports from the Lucea Police are that about 8:50 p.m., a police operation was in progress when a motorcar was signalled to stop. Men alighted from the vehicle and opened gunfire at the Police who returned gunfire.

Leslie, who police say is a multiple murderer, was later discovered with gunshot wounds and rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The other men made good their escape in the area.

The Inspectorate of the Constabulary and the Independent Commission of Investigations INDECOM are investigating.

However, in an interview with the Gleaner, Superintendent of Police Sharon Beeput, the commanding officer for the Hanover Police Division, is quoted as saying that Leslie was a known enforcer in the parish.

"This man has been giving us a lot of trouble since the start of the year. We believe he has had a hand in the vast majority of the 36 murders we have had in the parish this year," said Beeput. "With him now out of the way, we should have some measure of peace now."

Leslie, known in the criminal underworld as 'Blacks,' was implicated in a recent quadruple murder, two triple murders and two double murders. He was said to be the chief enforcer for the One Voice gang, one of the three criminal gangs operating in the parish.

A senior citizen who pleaded guilty to impregnating an underage girl 10 years ago, was sentenced to three years imprisonment when he appeared in the St Catherine circuit court.

He is 70-year-old Cecil hall of Linstead St Catherine.

Hall's troubles with the court started after he attended family court in February for a maintenance hearing.

During his attendance, he allegedly said that he would not be paying anymore money to the mother of his 10-year-old child.

The child's mother then revealed to the court that he needs to live up to his responsibility and that he impregnated her when she was only 15 years old. An inquiry was made by the presiding parish judge, after which documentary evidence confirmed that hall committed carnal abuse.

Sergeant attached to the Kingston Western Division was shot and injured and three illegal firearms seized in two separate attacks on the Police in West Kingston, last night. Reports are that about 12:30 a.m, a police team was on duty in the Coronation Market and its environs when a group of men armed with high-powered weapons attempted to enter the market space.

The police were however vigilant and took command of the space and prevented them from doing so, as a result the gunmen fired at the police who countered the attack.

During the shooting, the sergeant was shot and injured as also one of the gunmen.

On the approach of the police to the injured gunman the team came under heavy gunfire from the Lizard Town and Tivoli Gardens communities. Reinforcement was sought and teams from Divisions within Area 4, Mobile Reserve and the Jamaica Defence Force assisted.

Both injured men were taken to hospital where the policeman was treated and the unidentified gunman pronounced dead. Two firearms, a 9mm pistol and a .38 revolver were seized in the incident.

About an hour earlier in the Rose Town community, a police team was on mobile patrol when they too were attacked by gunmen armed with high-powered weapons. The lawmen repelled the challenge and the gunmen fled. The gunmen were however accosted by another police team that was on patrol in the area.

One gunman was shot and injured and a 9mm Luger pistol with two rounds of ammunition seized from him. The other men escaped in the community.

Councillor for the Payne Land Division in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Council Audrey Smith Facey looks set to be the next Member of Parliament for St Andrew South Western. Reports are that she is miles ahead of Karl Blake the other candidate interested in replacing outgoing Member of Parliament Portia Simpson Miller.

Blake is the councillor for the Greenwich Town Division, also in the constituency of St Andrew South Western. He is recuperating from a brazen attack by gunmen recently, when he was shot at the divisional office located at Caribbean Palms along Spanish Town Road in the constituency.

His divisional secretary and longstanding member of the PNP, Maxine Simpson was killed during the incident.

Shabba Ranks(Mr Loverman) performed all his hits and wooed the massive crowd.

He exited the stage after 4 am Saturday morning.

He performed his signature hit 'Twice My Age', in which Nadine Sutherland sang Crystals part,...Xanadu sang Cocoa T's song & sounded just like the dread.

Mavado entered the stage after 4 am,he was the closing act..

Prior to Shabba Ranks was the Go Go Dolls.their set was over an hour..

Earlier In the evening Third World performed.

Speaking at a Music Festival artiste press conference Friday morning, Head of the Artiste selection committee Jonel Powel had oromised with the level of talent for Friday night's (June 23) lineup, fans could certainly expect great performances.

The second staging of the Washington, DC Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival took place Sunday, June 18th and brought together thousands of guests at its new venue, RFK Stadium. The fun-filled day included mainstage and cultural stage performances, mouthwatering jerk food selections from various vendors, an interactive Kidz Zone, Jerk Cook-off Pavilion and more. VIP Vibe zone ticket holders were offered an exclusive fan experience with an all-inclusive menu, waiter service, and a premium viewing area. Everywhere you turned there was something exciting to experience.

The hot sweltering day kicked off with The Cultural/Fusion Stage which never fails to give the crowd a taste of the islands, all hosted by Susan Davis aka Dr. Sue. This year's theme was "Jamaica 55" and it featured some of DMV's most talented entertainers, authors, and performers showcasing their love and appreciation of Jamaica such as Hyacinth Swaby-Holder the author, "My Papa Used to Say," a book filled with Jamaican proverbs. The Braata Folk Singers performed songs and interactive games reminiscent of old-time Jamaica, taking the audience down memory lane. The entertainment intensified once local favorites Ras Slick and Image band turned up the heat on the Main Stage. Host and Comedian, Ragashanti kept the crowd engaged with his humorous comments as he introduced the acts. He shared MC duties with DC's own Tony Carr. DJ Ricky Platinum, DJ G-Nice and ABlazin Radio DJs made sure there wasn't a dull moment during band change, keeping the crowd pumped up in between performances.

Patrons relaxed and found shade while enjoying their jerk meals but soca's royal couple Bunji Garlin and Fay-Ann Lyons got the crowd up and moving, as they brought the carnival energy to the Jerk Festival performing songs like 'Big Bad Soca' and 'Girls.' Soon after, Romain Virgo rocked the stage by performing a collection of hits and introduced the crowd to his latest single 'Now'. Queen Ifrica wowed festival attendees with a stellar 45-Minute set where she encouraged unity through her songs and empowered the women with a motivational speech. Tarrus Riley concluded the show with a slew of songs from his vast music catalog and with the support Dean Fraser horns of steel the audience couldn't get enough, especially when Tarrus Riley called the Queen back on stage to close out the show together. The performances were only one aspect of the lively 9-hour day. Patrons enjoyed tasting the various vendors such as T&G Flavors, Hellshire Style Fish, Jamrock Jerk, Southern Caribbean, Rick's Cafe and much more. The Reggae Music Journey Exhibition has developed into one of the festivals favorite elements, where Patricia Chin, founder of VP Records, and owner of Riddim Driven Clothing, greets fans of the culture and take them through the Reggae experience at VP Records.

The Jerk Cook-off Pavilion featured cooking demonstrations and tastings by Chef Andre Fowles, winner of Food Network's Chopped Champion and Chef Irie, host of Taste The Islands television show on PBS. Washington DC's own Chef Giovanni Merle showcased one of his tasty recipes and soca sensation Fay Ann Lyons took home the Dutch Pot Trophy after winning the Celebrity Quickfire Challenge where she competed against WJLA ABC News anchor, Michelle Marsh.

Mayor of DC, Muriel Bowser, made a special appearance and addressed the audience, sharing her excitement for having the jerk festival in DC for the 2nd year in a row. "I am happy to have the Grace.

The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival, DC is presented by the Institute of Caribbean Studies and produced by Jamaican Jerk Festival NY, LLC in association with VP Records.

Father of two, Chris Martin is enjoying life with new(ish) girlfriend, Brittny Newman. Yes, the same one who a study architecture and who social media did drag when Chris reveal her wha day yah.

Well, haters, Chris doan care what oonu haffi seh cause him and she fly out go a St Lucia wha day yah and...who in love like dem?

Oonu memba when Chris did post this to her and mash up everybody head?

"It's ur special day today...Enjoy it and I pray the almighty will continue to bless u and keep u safe as ur soul grows more beautiful everyday," he wrote. "I'm happy for ur existence and even happier u r apart of my life...Happy birthday."

More than 50 artists including One Direction, Robbie Williams, Stormzy, Rita Ora and Jessie J gave their time to record vocals for the fundraising cover version of Simon & Garfunkel's classic song in aid of those affected by the tragedy.

Simon Cowell 's star studded charity single raising money for all those affected by the devastating Grenfell Tower fire has been released.

Its accompanying video will premiere on Wednesday evening on ITV before Coronation Street airs.

More than 50 artists including One Direction's Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Robbie Williams, The Who's Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, Stormzy , Rita Ora, Jessie J and Pixie Lott gave their time to record vocals for the fundraising track.

Social media fave, Facebook Hero has released a stern diss track which takes pointed aim at confused Dancehall artiste Khago.

FB Hero, who has moved up the food chain and is now not just a social media sensation, but also an artiste, used his Instagram account over the weekend to release the diss track.

Of course, it was seen as a direct response to Khago's recent single dissing up all the bloggers and vloggers including Rawpa Crawpa, SouFloTv, CMR TV, Dr Love and Facebook Hero after they criticized his new 'freaky songs.'

Khago's "Come Inna Mi Place" single is said to be supporting oral sex, and many persons want nothing to do with both Khago and the controversial song.

A US trial for 10 defendants in a multimillion-dollar Jamaican lottery scam case has been delayed until early next year.

US District Judge Dan Hovland rescheduled the trial that was to begin July 17 in federal court in North Dakota to January 22, 2018, after one of the suspects' attorneys said he had a conflict next month and also needed more time to prepare.

Federal prosecutors didn't object to the change. US Attorney Chris Myers anticipates the trial might last as long as three weeks.

A total of 15 people are charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering in the scam that authorities said bilked at least 90 mostly elderly Americans out of more than US$5.7 million. The suspects could face decades in prison if convicted.

Nine of the 10 suspects facing trial are Jamaicans who pleaded not guilty earlier this year. They include Lavrick Willocks, who authorities allege was the mastermind. The tenth suspect is a US citizen who pleaded not guilty in August 2015.

Two of the remaining five suspects are in custody in Jamaica awaiting extradition, and three remain fugitives.

Authorities have dubbed the case "Operation Hard Copy," a reference to lists of prospective victims' contact information used by scammers. North Dakota authorities began investigating in 2012, starting with the case of a Harvey woman who lost her life savings of more than US$300,000 to the scam. The probe involves the FBI, the US Postal Inspection Service and the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs.

The police are reporting that a major operation in the Kingston Western Division on Thursday, led to the arrest of three wanted men and three persons of interest -- one of whom was wanted for questioning in relation to the murder of two people and the injuring of another at the Coronation Market in downtown Kingston -- on Wednesday.

The man, whose identity is being withheld, was nabbed during an operation that began about 4:00 am and spanned several communities to include Tivoli Gardens, Golden Heights, Pink Lane, Charles Street and Hannah Town.

Two other persons of interest were also arrested during the operation.

One of the men is wanted for questioning in relation to the murder/shooting on Metcalfe Street. The other is wanted for questioning in relation to a murder in the Kingston Central Division.

Additionally, three men who were wanted for various offences including robbery and shootings were also arrested, while another three were arrested on warrants.

Thursday night, 11-year-old Taysha Hughes, also called Angel,a student of the Holy Family Primary Schoolwas murdered in Central Kingston in a hail of bullets.

Now, the Police are theorizing that her killing was a reprisal for the shooting death of alleged don, Nicholas Malcolm, in the community.

The police were reportedly processing the scene where Malcolm and a 12-year-old boy had been shot on Wildman Street about 10: 00 pm, when they were summoned to a second shooting on the nearby Fleet Street about 10:30pm.

They found Taysha along with four men suffering from gunshot wounds.One of the men, identified as 26-year-old Richard Allen otherwise called 'Finey', was wearing a mask, the police said.

Reports are that the girl was reportedly among three men standing on Fleet Street, when they were attacked by masked gunmen.

The police speculate that Allen was one of the attackers and was shot by his cronies.

The Court of Appeal on Friday morning dismissed the appeal brought by former People's National Party (PNP) president Portia Simpson Miller and four other party functionaries in the Trafigura case.

The decision was announced by Appeal Court President Dennis Morrison.

This paves the way for Mrs. Simpson Miller, PNP Chairman Robert Pickersgill, Regional Chairman Phillip Paulwell, former General Secretary Colin Campbell and businessman Norton Hinds to answer questions in open court.

The issue surrounds a $31 million donation made to the PNP by the Dutch firm Trafigura Baheer in 2006.

This raised questions regarding possible undue influence being exerted by the company which was seeking to do business with the Government of Jamaica at the time of the donation.

Eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt will run the 100 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco on July 21, organisers announced on Wednesday.

The Jamaican sprinting legend is competing in his final season before retirement and will use the Monaco event as a warm-up for the world championships in London that start on August 5.

The world-record holder (9.58sec) won his first race of the year in Kingston earlier this month in 10.03sec, and is also due to run in Ostrava on June 28.

Bolt, who has won three Olympic 100m-200m doubles, will only compete in the 100m for his farewell at the worlds.

The 30-year-old saw his tally of Olympic gold medals reduced from nine to eight earlier this year, when the Jamaican team were stripped of their 2008 4x100m medals after Nesta Carter's disqualification for doping.

The police are reporting that wo females are in custody following the seizure of a M16 assault rifle, two magazines and 31 rounds of ammunition on Commission Road in Rockfort, Kingston yesterday.

And many persons are gleeful that finally women are being held for crimes and criminality. The general consensus is that women (sot these two specifically, but women in general) have long been enablers for gunmen who kill at will.

"They should be shown no mercy by the Courts as a strong message needs to be sent that the desire to eat a food is no justification for being an enabler of criminality which is exactly what these women are doing," one person commented on social media.

"I hope after thorough investigation, they are found guilty and or they give up their men.... and all are locked away. Time for this slackness to stop.. All these so call bad men don't live in silos, their female companion are aware of there dealings. LOCK THEM UP...", another person has commented.

While a third sums it up thus: "Yes!! Lock them up, question them thoroughly, they knew about them. These are the types of mothers, sisters, babymothers, etc..whom are aiding and abetting these notorious criminals. They too, shall get some serious sentences, especially, if there are any 'bodies' on these arms! Time for the justice department to start use these female "hoodlums" as examples. I am telling you, THEY KNEW ABOUT THEM!!! Lock them up!!!!!"

According to reports from the police, during a special operation about 5:30 pm, a premises was searched and the firearm and ammunition found in the ceiling of a room.

The females, whose identities are being withheld pending further investigations, were subsequently arrested.

A grade nine student at the Norman Manley High School in St Andrew was stabbed in the back by a Grade 11 student who should not even have been at school, reports say.

The injured boy was rushed to hospital where he was admitted in a serious but stable condition, while his attacker, an older boy, fled the compound.

"This morning, a Grade 11 student, who should not even have been at school, came here and stabbed a Grade 9 boy in the back," said principal Adaire Powell-Brown.

"It seems to be an attack that was carried over from an altercation between the two some time ago away from the school. So it was rather strange that he would follow the young man here to commit the act," added Powell-Brown.

The principal lamented that despite efforts geared at instilling discipline and respect in the daily lives of her students, some would rather subscribe to uncaring and violent ways to exact revenge.

GROOVIN' - TURNING A DAY IN THE PARK INTO A MAGIC CARPET RIDE

NY: Groovin' In The Park is New York City's premier reggae and R & B concert taking place this Sunday in Roy Wilkins Park in Queens. The outdoor event is celebrating its seventh renewal, and over the years Groovin' has attracted a dazzing array of the finest available talent in both genres. Beres Hammond, Jimmy Cliff, Steel Pulse, Bob Andy, Morgan Heritage, Chronixx, Mavado, Toots, John Holt, Beenie Man, Stitchie and many other luminaries have blazed the reggae stage. On the R & B and pop side, the stage has been set on fire by Michael Bolton, Air Supply, Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Babyface, Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle, Billy Ocean, Brian McKnight and Boyz 11 Men.

But while the Groovin' talent list is unmistakably superlative year after year, another powerful attraction of the festival are the luxurious and thoughtful considerations that come with the Groovin' experience. For starters, this Sunday will be in the soul-warming 80s and a generous supply of bottled cold water will be distributed to attendees in the general admissions section. Attendees will have not just a choice of Jamaican food items but health-conscious culinary treats will be served up from cuisines from around the world. And almost a hundred portable bathrooms including fifteen outfitted for the handicapped will ensure that a visit to the restroom is never a 10K marathon on Sunday.

The VIP section of Groovin' will take on the posture of a tropical island with designers incorporating vibrant Caribbean colors in various sections that they have created in the park. Each VIP attendee will be supplied with two hot meals plus unlimited beverage while they jam to the sweet nostalgic sounds of Busy Signal, Freddie McGregor, Tarrus Riley, Ken Boothe, Leroy Sibblies and U Roy.

And in the VVIP luxury suites, a day in the park will become a blissful magic carpet ride. A limited number of elevated sky boxes will offer the prefect optics for viewing the pied piper of R & B, R Kelly and songbird and Grammy winner Stephanie Mills. An all-inclusive, unlimited gourmet experience against a backdrop of plush over-sized sofas, high ball tables and Ottoman chairs will make the Groovin' experience feel like more than a luxury resort. Each sky-suite will be provisioned with a bountiful basket of fresh fruits, and after the mouthwatering nouvelle Caribbean cuisine, VVIP guests can savor sweet delights like Sabrina's rum cake and sorrel cheese cake. The VIP and VVIP bathrooms will be spacious and self-flushing with attendants offering toiletries and fragrances by leading designer brands. Additionally, a round-the-clock janitorial crew will ensure that the entire venue is impeccabl e.

"My friends and I look forward to Groovin' In The Park every year", Myrna Merchant, a former banker and executive administrator in New York told Images Newsletter. "We love the music, but we also come for the natural mystic and the overall Groovin' experience which is priceless...it is a fabulous vibe session and reunion for family, friends, school mates and colleagues", she affirmed.

Chef Patrick

Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival; A Delicious Fun-Filled Experience

Queens, NY - Every Summer, for the last seven years, thousands have eagerly flocked to Roy Wilkins Park in Queens, to enjoy a sizzling day of mouthwatering jerk foods, cooking contests, celebrities, cultural performances, reggae, soca and dancehall music at the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival. This annual celebration of Caribbean culture will take place on Sunday, July 23 and promises an exciting entertainment package of top-tier performers delivering another delicious fun-filled experience.

"We have upped the ante this year and have signed Grammy Award winning reggae group, Morgan Heritage to perform on the Main Stage," said an exciting Eddy Edwards, one of the Managing Partners of Jamaican Jerk Festival NY, LLC, who is totally psyched about the upcoming event. "This is our 7th year in New York and we are planning to make it a memorable festival with an out-of-this-world experience for our patrons." Known to deliver only the best for the largest Caribbean Food Festival in the United States, Edwards is making a promise he plans to definitely keep.

Morgan Heritage's long list of hits sets the stage for a singalong segment, as their fans will certainly join them in song when they perform. Also scheduled to appear is Barrington Levy, another artist with an extensive catalogue of hits as well as Konshens, one of dancehall's constant hitmakers since serving notice in 2012 with the release of his hits Gal A Bubble, Do Sum'n and Pull Up to Mi Bumper. Soca sensation Alison Hinds will add more spice to the main stage concert and with support from Platinum Kids, Ragashanti and Dubmaster Chris patrons can expect the cool Jerk Festival vibe they have come to know and love.

It will be fierce competition in the Cook-Off Pavilion as chefs and celebrities will battle for top honors. Celebrity and Corporate Executive Chef of BB King's, Chef Wenford Patrick Simpson will be on hand to wow festivalgoers with his culinary delights.

The Cultural Stage will fire up early with performances by storyteller and comedian Blakka Ellis, Dr. Sue, and Braata Folk Singers with traditional folk performances. Rising stars Dylan, ShaMain and Yoncia will be sure to impress patrons with noteworthy performances.

Patrons will roam the extensive food court feasting on a variety of foods, visit Arts & Crafts vendors, Corporate Row featuring sampling and giveaways as well as the Kidz Fun Zone. Year after year, jerk lovers attend this all-encompassing festival seeking out the best jerk foods, friends they haven't seen in forever and a multitude of events that offer something for everyone - from the gates open at 12 p.m. till the headliner closes the Main Stage at 8 p.m.

Advanced tickets to the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival NY are available online at www.jerkfestivalNY.com or at selected retail outlets in the tri-state area. Children 10 and under are admitted free.

ROOSEVELT FIELD TO HOST IRIE FASHION RAVE

A Caribbean Experience Weekend

GARDEN CITY, NY - Roosevelt Field is thrilled to announce that it will host the Irie Fashion Rave, a Caribbean Experience Weekend, in partnership with Caribbean Media Group on Saturday, July 8th from 10 a.m to 9 p.m. and Sunday, July 9th from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in North Court.

The Irie Fashion Rave weekend event will be filled with Caribbean cultural elements sourced directly from the Caribbean islands. Shoppers will enjoy fun and colorful presentations of ready-to-wear fashion, food, art, music, travel, and much more in a festive setting without leaving Long Island. "We are delighted to host a weekend filled with Caribbean entertainment in partnership with Caribbean Media Group," said Nancy Gilbert, Director of Marketing at Roosevelt Field. "We look forward to bringing the community together to celebrate Caribbean culture and to continue to provide unique experiences for our shoppers."

Sponsor, Jamaica Tourist Board will be giving away a hotel stay in Jamaica at the event as well.

"The vision for Irie Fashion Rave has always been to highlight and showcase Caribbean fashion and culture to the world," Syntyche' Clarke, Executive Vice President at Caribbean Media Group said.

"When you look at international fashion or listen to mainstream music, there is no question that it is heavily influenced by our Caribbean culture. What we are doing at Irie Fashion Rave is really accentuating and celebrating where it all came from."

VP Records announces the completion of a new album deal with Grammy(R) winning R&B artist Estelle. The full length reggae album is scheduled for a fall 2017 release. The first single, 'Love Like Ours' featuring reggae star Tarrus Riley is available June 16th with a music video to follow.

'Love Like Ours' gives fans a first taste of the upcoming album that will showcase the pivotal influence reggae music has had on the London, England born singer. Raised in a religious, Senegalese/ Grenadian household, Estelle's musical upbringing included a variety of Afro-Caribbean, Gospel, Hip-Hop and dance styles with a healthy dose of reggae music.

Since 2008 and the release of the crossover radio hit "Come Over" featuring reggae star Sean Paul and produced by Supa Dups (Sean Paul, Drake, Party Next Door), fans have been encouraging Estelle to record a reggae album. This project will bring their desires to life with a unique fusion of lover's rock, afro beats and dancehall flavors anchoring her soulful, R&B vocals. "When I told some friends about doing this album" said Estelle, "they were like - 'finally!'" She continued, "everyone who knows me, understands the deep connection I have to reggae music." Estelle has joined forces with Supa Dups again on this project and her fans excitement for the full album is brewing.

Estelle has shown a wide and expanding range of talent and with this album, will complete the musical circle, showcasing one of her earliest musical influences. The singer concluded, "I'm happy to give the people what they have been asking for and I'm proud to share another piece of my life and art with the world."

VP Records and B.B. Kings Blues Club present a night of international roots reggae and dub, celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the historic U.K. reggae label, Greensleeves Records. On Wednesday, June 21st, the legendary BB King Blues Club in Times Square, New York will host Italian born reggae star Alborosie, in his first New York concert performance. Queen Ifrica, the roots reggae diva will headline with her full band, as she embarks on a U.S. tour to promote her recent #1 album "Climb." Musician / producer Addis Pablo will perform a tribute to his late father, dub reggae legend Augustus Pablo, whose work was closely associated with the Greensleeves label internationally. A special sound system presentation from New York favorites, Deadly Dragon Sound with Scratch Famous, Jonny Go Figure and Selector JD will kick off the evening's activity.

Greensleeves Records was founded in 1977 by Chris Sedgwick and Chris Cracknell. The label developed the talents of legends Yellowman, Barrington Levy, Shabba Ranks, Beenie Man, Mr. Vegas, Shaggy, Vybz Kartel, Elephant Man and more. Their work with domestic and international artists helped develop the reggae genre in the U.K. and Europe and set a standard for presenting the music and culture with quality and respect. Greensleeves nurtured the music in Europe from dub plate to download. The label was purchased by VP Records in 2008.

Multiple album projects are scheduled to commemorate the Greensleeves anniversary including.

Veteran reggae hit maker and Big Ship captain Freddie McGregor will be honored by the City Of Mt Vernon, New York with the "Key To The City" for his outstanding contribution to the reggae industry. The presentation to McGregor will be made on Sunday, June 25 at Roy Wilkins Park in NY. The announcement was recently made by Mt Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas.

"Thanks to Mayor Thomas, I will receive one of the highest honors a person can receive, the Key to the City," McGregor said when he got the news.

For Freddie, the award has added significance given it is from a city in Westchester County, New York with strong Jamaican/Caribbean roots.

Jamaican born, Ronald Blackwood who lived in Mt Vernon, became the first African-American who was elected mayor in New York state. Judge Sam D. Walker, who was born in Kingston, served as a City Court Judge in Mt Vernon before he was elevated to Supreme Court judge in New York state. Jamaican rapper Heavy D lived in Mt Vernon for many years. I feel lucky to be honored by a city where Jamaicans have broke barriers and shown how immigrants can live the American Dream," he said.

Known worldwide for his riveting reggae ballads, McGregor recorded his first big hit "Why Did You Do It" with Ernest Wilson in the late 60s. In 1983 he mined gold with "Big Ship" which broke into the top ten of the reggae charts in England and Jamaica. Since then he has amassed an impressive catalogue of popular hits.

McGregor will head to New York this week where he will join a dazzling galaxy of R&B and reggae stars including R Kelly, Stephanie Mills, Busy Signal, Tarrus Riley, Ken Boothe, Leroy Sibbles and U Roy with Lloyd Parks & We The People Band at Groovin In The Park 2017 that takes place at Roy Wilkins Park.

It was a case of "there's no sunshine when you're gone, when the funeral service for veteran Reggae singer, Frankie Paul was finally held last Saturday. It was a somber service in which tears rolled down the cheeks of some inside the church, even as the raine poured on the outside.

As it is with many of the funerals within the entertainment fraternity, it was not well attended, but the important thing is that those for whom Frankie Paul's friendship was an important thing, were present at his final send-off.

Among those in attendance were reggae singer, Luciano, who stated that Frankie Paul helped him a lot during the early days of his career and so he had to be there; Half Pint; George Nooks, the only reggae singer who can be guaranteed to attend the funeral services of not only his colleagues, but also that of their relatives; Minister Babsy Grange, Copeland Forbes, Charlie Chaplin and Bongo Herman. .

George Nooks, as usual, lent his vocals to the proceedings, so too did Luciano and Half Pint, even as Frankie Paul's sister cried her heart out.

Frankie Paul, born Paul Blake,was later laid to rest at the Dovecot Memorial Park.

He passed away at the University hospital of the West Indies on May 18 following a battle with kidney disease.

On Friday afternoon, heavily armed men shot and killed a man moments after he left court where he was involved in a matter.

The deceased has been identified as Steven Malcolm, a senior member of the Nation Crocs gang that operates in Canterbury here in St James.

According to police Malcolm was shot about 11:30, shortly after he left court and was picked up by men in a motor car.

The police said that after going through the traffic light on Howard Cooke Drive the vehicle stopped on Queens Drive, where Malcolm reportedly got out to talk to men in a parked car, when heavily armed men alighted from another vehicle that was on the scene and peppered him with bullets. He was taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Frightened pedestrians ran in different directions for cover, while motorists sped away from the scene but soon created a large build-up of traffic in the congested city.

The shooters, in an attempt to elude the police who were quick on the scene, abandoned their motor car after it hit an embankment.

Camille Cosby, the longtime wife of Bill Cosby, reacted in a lengthy statement about her husband's sexual assault case ending in a mistrial on Saturday morning.

After six days of deliberation, the Pennsylvania jury were unable to render a unanimous verdict on any of the three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault with which Cosby had been charged.

"How do I describe the district attorney? Heinously and exploitively ambitious," her statement began. "How do I describe the judge? Overtly and arrogantly collaborating with the district attorney. How do I describe the counsels for the accusers? Totally unethical."

Cosby continued in her statement: "How do I describe many, but not all, general media? Blatantly vicious entities that continually disseminated intentional omissions of truths for the primary purpose of greedily selling sensationalism at the expense of a human life." The 73-year-old philanthropist, who's been married to "The Cosby Show" creator since 1964, added that "historically, people have challenged injustices."

Cosby then said she was "grateful to any of the jurors who tenaciously fought to review the evidence; which is the rightful way to make a sound decision." She added that his trial ending this way was a "manifestation of justice, based on facts, not lies." She also thanked her husband's attorneys "for their hard work" along with her staff "for their continuous commitment to our family and me."

Cosby ended her statement by thanking her family, friends and supporters "who never gave up on us, despite it all."

Cosby, who turns 80 next month, was subdued and seemed almost dazed when O'Neill declared the mistrial. The Hollywood icon left the courtroom without comment after sitting in his chair at the defense table for several minutes, simply gazing outward. At one point, counselor Angela Agrusa patted him on the shoulder.

He remains free on bail pending the new trial.

It took 52 hours for the predominantly white jury of seven men and five women to decide that it could not decide the case. "We, the jury, are deadlocked on all counts," said the note read by O'Neill on Saturday morning. Defense lawyer Brian McMonagle moved for a mistrial -- as he has done at numerous points during five days of deliberations -- but this time, O'Neill granted the request.

Lawyers in the Patrick Powell case in which he is accused of refusing to turn over his weapon to the authorities during the investigation into the fatal shooting of Khajeel Mais in July 2011 are to make final submissions on June 28.

The defence rested its case on Thursday morning in the St. Andrew Parish Court shortly after the businessman gave an unsworn statement. Powell denied allegations that he refused to turnover his gun to the authorities. He made quite a few headlines when he begged the Parish Judge Vaughn Smith to "have mercy" in deciding on matter.

However, interesting as that might be, what Yardflex finds intriguing is that RJR News is reporting that checks by them have revealed that that if convicted for the offence under the Firearms Act, Powell faces a maximum fine of J$400 or 12 months in prison!

Sooo, the honourable Babsy Grange is allowing prisoners to showcase their talents at the upcomng Jamaica 55 celebrations. But mums the word on whether or not our most famous prisoner, Vybz Kartel, will be among the favoured. One person in government says 'No', Miss Grange says that's a question that she will not answer.

So what's the real deal. Kartel or no Kartel for Jamaica 55?

We've heard rumblings that since Addi is has ben granted an appel, then somehow that disqualifies him from this special treatment. But, then again, could Kartel be granted special bail, pending his appeal? Buju was granted bail and was under some form of house arrest which his case was being appealed. But that is the US.

Allegations are that Minister Rupert Clarke helped himself to three sisters, with the youngest being just 13 years old.

It was disclosed at Monday's opening of the St. Elizabeth Circuit Court that Clarke has been charged with another count of having sex with someone under 16 years old.

The additional count is in relation to a 13 year-old girl who is the sibling of the two sisters with whom the 64 year-old Clergyman is also accused of having sexual intercourse.

Clarke, who was not present, is scheduled to appear in court on June 23 when it is expected that the prosecution will apply for the case to be transferred from St. Elizabeth to the Home Circuit Court in Kingston.

Clarke was taken into custody last December 28 by the St. Elizabeth Police after he was reportedly seen in a comprising position with a 15 year-old girl in a car along the Austin Main Road in the parish.

It is said that the love of money is the root of all evil and this played out in the murder of a Jamaican man by his US wife who had him killed so that she could cash in on a US$900,000 insurance policy.

The American ex-registered nurse in Brooklyn, New York has been convicted of hiring a hitman to murder her Jamaica-born husband in 2013 after two failed attempts at the victim's life. The gunman was also convicted of murder.

It took a jury less than three hours to convict 29-year-old Alishia Noel-Murray, for having her husband, 37-year-old Omar Murray, killed to cash in on nearly US$900,000 in life insurance claims. Jurors found Noel-Murray guilty of murder, attempted murder and weapon possession in the February 23, 2013 assassination of her husband.

Prosecutors said Noel-Murray plotted with her lover, Dameon Lovell, to hire a hitman for US$3,500 to kill Murray, so she could collect on three life insurance policies.

Lovell co-operated with prosecutors in exchange for 15 years to life in prison. It said the assailant, 29-year-old Kirk Portious, murdered Murray in their Lott Avenue, Brownsville, Brooklyn home.

Noel-Murray was convicted of first-degree murder following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog, and Portious was convicted by a separate jury of first-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Each defendant faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole when they're sentenced on June 29.

Controversial dancehall act, Khago....the man who seems rather confused as to his own identity and who has been labelled "freadky" says he used his poison pen to give vloggers a taste of hown bitter medicine.

Khago recently released a new single entitled "Kill Vlogger." The name says it all. The diss track lashes out against several social media personalities who criticized him and branded his singles "Long Gun Boy" and "Come Inna Mi Place" as freaky anthems. (Which they definitely are. So what's the prob?)

Formerly known for conscious songs such as "Nah Sell Out" Khago now dabbles with a lot of lyrics that are as far removed from his days of consciousness, as is his new, lockless, bleached out appearance.

Well, with the decision to kill vloggers, Khago his out at Facebook Hero, Rawpa Crawpa, SouFloTv, CMR TV and Dr Love. Khago says that these persons often only highlight the bad things about entertainers with an aim to effort to tear them down.

Jones & Jones Productions has announced the line-up for JAMBANA™ One World Festival, the Fun For The Family Festival now in its ninth year at Markham Fair Grounds, 10801 McCowan Road at Elgin Mills in Markham on August 6th and 7th, 2017.

With music as the core, this the two-day festival is designed to have fans rock and sway to classic and contemporary sounds, from yesterday and today. Roots to Dancehall, Lover's Rock, Soca, Calypso and Afrobeat, will pulse all day and friends and family of all ages can enjoy the JAMBANA™ experience which unfolds from 1-9:30PM on both Sunday and Monday.

Headlining JAMBANA™ One World Festival this year are Assassin, 'Greetings' creator Half Pint, and Lover's rocker, Wayne Wonder. Paying tribute to the late great Joseph Hill, reggae trio Culture, with his son Kenyatta Hill hit the stage as a stop on the 40th Anniversary Culture Tour. Josey Wales, the dancehall general and Heptones' Leroy Sibbles will keep the Entertainment Village rocking all day long. Global reggae ambassador and 5-time JUNO Award winner Exco Levi headlines the Canadian contingent which includes JUNO winner Nana McLean. Soca Monarch Ronnie McIntosh and Moses Revolution bring the Soca and Calypso vibes to keep round out the musical influences of the islands. Canadian Gospel Minister Marvia Providence with her full band and harmony singers will raise the spirits of JAMBANA™ goers who will celebrate thankfully as the spiritual pause tradition continues at the family festival

While bands switch over, DJs Metro Media from Jamaica, Britain's Lloyd Coxone and Germany's Sillywalks Discotheque will take the party from the stage to the grounds. Teen phenom Joshua Lucas is ready run with the legends as Andre DeGrasse sprinted with Usain Bolt. He represents Canada as one of the 'youngest and baddest' on the wheels of steel. JAMBANA™ Idol returns and will be sure to excite the audience again this year as we get a chance to witness future stars in the making. Registration for the JAMBANA™ Idol contest begins July 1st at JAMBANA.COM/IDOL and 2016 winner Al-Beeno will perform his hit "T.O.R.O.N.T.O" in the Canada 150 tribute, which kicks off both days of the festival.

Visitors to the two-day festival will experience the JAMBANA™ villages hearing, seeing, touching, tasting and learning as they rock to the rhythms of the African and Caribbean diaspora on the stage in the Entertainment village. Food, Health, VIP, Domino, Travel & Trade and Children's Villages enhance the JAMBANA™ experience and provide a little something for the entire family. The two players left standing as the winners of the annual 'Lick-A-Six' domino tournament will each win a trip to Jamaica. Fun meets you at every turn during this year's JAMBANA™ One World Festival.

General admission tickets are $20 in advance and are available now at www.ticketgateway.com. Tickets will be in outlets across the city as of June 25th.

Click on www.jambana.com for complete line-up, ticket prices, outlets and general information. Call 905-452-1911 for general information including sponsorship's and vendor opportunities (spaces are limited).

Inmates and juveniles in correctional institutions across the island will be showcasing their talents as part of the 'Jamaica 55' celebrations, however, according to the government, the most famous prisoner in Jamaica, Vybz Kartel, will not be part of the celebrations.

Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Senator Pearnel Charles Jr., explained that the inmates will be making their contributions through music, and other skill areas such as visual and culinary arts.

"I applaud the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport for its willingness to allow the inmates to showcase their talents and entertain Jamaicans and rebuild hope and trust," he said.

He said the move is in keeping with government's objective to "create space that encourages people's talents to flourish for our country's benefit, and inmates in correctional facilities are no different".

For the Independence celebrations, the adult inmates will be working with former Superintendent at the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Gladstone Wright, to produce music pieces in recognition of the Independence milestone. Senator Charles Jr. explained that Mr. Wright played a critical role in the development of the music programme in the correctional facilities.

Meanwhile, the youth offenders will be creating pieces for a competition and expo under the 'Jamaica 55' theme 'Celebrating Jamaicans at Home and Abroad'.

Four juvenile correctional institutions across the island are expected to display talents in areas such as mural design, animation, graphic design, fashion designing/tailoring, craft, the culinary arts, and agricultural science. The mural design that best captures the theme will be painted in all juvenile institutions as part of efforts to create child-friendly spaces.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Reggae Sumfest returns to Montego Bay this summer, for the 25th staging of the "Greatest Reggae Show on Earth." From July 16 - 21, the music festival, which draws thousands of reggae and dancehall fans from across the world, will see some of the genre's biggest names, including Sean Paul, Beenie Man and Sean Kingston. Other popular acts, like Alkaline, Mavado, Sizzla and Jah Cure, round out the lineup of over 30 artists.

In addition to enjoying this top-tier talent, visitors on-island for Reggae Sumest will also be sure to experience Jamaica's beautiful beaches, tasty cuisine and friendly people.

"Jamaica is proud to be the birthplace of reggae music, and just as proud to host Reggae Sumfest, giving music lovers an opportunity to enjoy some of Jamaica's greatest talent," noted Paul Pennicook, Jamaica's Director of Tourism. "Reggae Sumfest is an excellent time for travelers to come to Jamaica and immerse themselves in our culture - and after their experience, we're confident they'll become repeat visitors."

As one of Jamaica's most popular resort areas, Montego Bay has many accommodation options for Reggae Sumfest attendees. Below is a sampling of properties and current deals: The all-inclusive Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay offers a beachfront location, comfortable rooms and unlimited dining - ideal for guests looking to attend Reggae Sumfest. The hotel is currently offering a 4th night free when guests book the "Getaway Package" for a minimum four-night stay from Sundays and Thursdays. Rates start at $277.44 per person.

Half Moon Resort offers 10% off the best available rate for guests who book a minimum 4-night stay at least 14 days in advance, a great value for those revelers participating in Reggae Sumfest's weeklong lineup of parties and concerts. Guests will be awed by this iconic property in Montego Bay, which sits on 400 acres of tropical gardens and is bordered by two miles of beach. Rates start at $222.30 per room, per night. The deal also includes roundtrip airport transfers.

Round Hill Hotel and Villas' "Forever Summer" package gives guests one night free, plus a $100 resort credit, when they book a minimum three-night stay by June 30, 2017. The private and secluded Round Hill is set on a lush 110-acre peninsula just west of Montego Bay, making it a conveniently located home base for Reggae Sumfest patrons, while also providing a respite from the festival's activities when needed. Rooms start at $419 per room, per night. Additional taxes, service charges, blackout dates and other restrictions may apply for hotel packages.

Duppy Film heads a list of 13 men the police have named as Jamaica's most wanted. Duppy Film, whose real name is Marlon Perry,is believed to be involved in numerous crimes in Kingston and St. Thomas,his home parish, consisting of a string of murders which include those of two policemen in December 2015.

Police also listed Akeem Johnson, otherwise called Bubus Parks, from Spanish Town as another wanted for several counts of murders and shootings committed in St. Catherine. He is said to frequent Spanish Town, Portmore, Linstead and other areas in the parish.

Adrian Robinson, otherwise called Rasta of a St. James address is also wanted murders and other crimes in that parish.

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, has announced that the government will work with the Burrell family to plan the funeral of the late President of the Jamaica Football Federation, Captain Horace Burrell. Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Minister Grange said: "Our country owes Captain Burrell a huge debt of gratitude for his work.

"A committee has been established which includes the JFF, the staff of the Ministry of Sports, and his family to make those arrangements."

Minister Grange announced that the funeral service is to take place at the National Arena on Wednesday, June 28, 2017 beginning at 10am with a Tribute Concert followed by a Service of Thanksgiving, in keeping with the family's wish for a celebratory event.

Sean Paul is set to drop a brand new collaboration with Colombian Pop superstar Shakira titled "Mad Love," produced by David Guetta.

The single is set to be released on iTunes within the coming weeks, and will be reportedly the lead track for Sean Paul's upcoming debut project for new label Island Records.

Some of the Dancehall artist's biggest hits over the years have included collaborations, and the deejay is hoping this trend continues. He previously worked with superstars such as Beyonce, Blu Cantrell, Keyshia Cole, Kelly Rowland, and recently Sia for the Billboard chart topping "Cheap Thrills."

Forbes has released its list of the top 100 highest-paid entertainers and Sean "Diddy" Combs is top of the tree.

His earnings of $130m (£102m) pushed him up from last year's 22nd spot.

His success is down to his recent US tour, a marketing deal with a vodka company and selling one third of his Sean John clothing line.

Beyonce and JK Rowling took second and third spot, but women comprise just 16% of the world's top-earning celebrities.

Newcomers include Kylie Jenner, at number 59, who is the youngest list member at the age of 19. Her earnings come from her family's reality TV show - Keeping Up with the Kardashians - her namesake cosmetics company and clothing line, plus various endorsements.

Half of the top 10 are made up of musicians, while two athletes - Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and basketball star LeBron James - also make the cut.

Grammy award-winning rapper Combs used to be best known for best-selling albums such as No Way Out and Forever. But the entrepreneur's business interests have catapulted him into the big time, and he's jumped from number 22 in last year's list to nab this year's top spot. Queen Bey needs no introduction but she's made a big leap up the chart, from number 34 last year. That's largely due to profits from her Formation tour and her most recent album, the critically-acclaimed Lemonade. Her husband, Jay-Z, could only make number 55.

Reports are that American rapper/businessman Jay Z travelled to Jamaica recently and his mission was to record new music with Tidal co-owner Damian Marley and veteran recording artist sister Nancy.

The single will reportedly sample Sister Nancy's 1982 smash hit 'Bam Bam.' The three made rounds online Thursday after a photo surfaced, a video shoot in Jamaica is also in the works for the upcoming single.

According to sources, and a picture posted of the two, Jay Z also met with Christian Tavares-Finson who is also the brother of Jr. Gong - they share the same mother Cindy Breakspeare. Christopher just happens to be one of the lawyers for incarcerated dancehall artiste, Vybz Kartel.

The rumour mill is working overtime and spitting out stories that the meeting was to give Jay an update on the Kartel's upcoming appeal trial set for next year.

R&B Super Star Ashanti visited Jamaica for a performance at Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) however, all those journalists who thought they would get a chance to interview her, were out of luck as the diva refused to give interviews to local media.

Ashanti herself seemed to have enjoyed her trip to Jamaica and posted videos and pictures of her trip to the iconic Bob Marley Museum. The organizers of the event hyped up the show by posting a clip of the star doing sound checks Sunday afternoon, prior to her performance later that day.

Her performance (if it can truly be called that) closed a week of activities, and was supposed to have been the big night for CFW. However, while the crowd turned out to give their full support to the event, Ashanti's less than 10 minutes on stage was certainly less than satisfactory. In fact, it was rather shocking. Persons expected at least a 20-minute performance from the R&B act whose catalogue far surpasses that. Why bring Ashanti all the way from foreign to perform for a mere eight minutes?

Anyway, the performances from Dexta Daps on Friday, and African Pop star FUSE ODG on Saturday were certainly much to rave about and while Dexta went for the girls, FUSE, the unknown entity was definitely a man for all seasons.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has issued a bulletin to schools warning them against imposing unreasonable registration fees on students for the upcoming school year.

According to the ministry, registration packages should not be more than five thousand dollars.

At the same time, the ministry has now abandoned the term 'auxiliary fees' and replaced it with 'school support contribution'.

The Ministry insists that students should not be denied entry to schools because of their inability to pay school support contribution.

It says neither should the payment of school support contribution be a requirement for registration, graduation, examination, application to sixth form or access to any service at a public educational institution.

According to the ministry, schools must have discussions with their Parent Teacher Associations to determine reasonable amounts for school support contributions.

But it says before implemented, the ministry must first approve the amount.

At the same time, the ministry said it will partner with the National Parent Teacher Association of Jamaica to encourage all parents to pay school support contribution.

It says sixth form programmes will continue to attract tuition fees that will be set by the School Board and approved by the ministry.

Before & After: New Special Needs School

Your incredible generosity is a big step towards completing the construction of Rockhouse Foundation's current project, developing Jamaica's first public inclusion model Special Needs Early Childhood School. We are very grateful for the kindness and loyalty of so many supporters who enable us to continue 'transforming the places where children learn in Jamaica, and support the great people who teach them.'

Spring Dinner & Raffle

The Spring Dinner and Raffle drawing was held June 6th 2017 at the Rockhouse's sister restaurant in NYC, Miss Lily's, and was a great success raising over US$70,000. We are so grateful to all who supported the night, especially Rhy Waddington, Sam Whitford, Miss Lily's "Chopped Champion" Andre Fowles, and longstanding sponsor JetBlue, and musical guest Tara Harrison and Andrew MacIntyre who ended the night on the highest note.

Rockhouse Foundation

The Rockhouse Foundation, a New York based 501(c)(3), was established in 2003 to transform the places where Jamaica's children learn and support the great people who teach them. Since its inception, the Foundation has expended almost US$4 million building, expanding, renovating and modernizing five early childhood and primary schools, as well as the Negril Community Library. The Foundation's current project is the construction of the regions first Special Needs Early Childhood School. The Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that its contributions to education are meaningful and long-lasting, and supplements its building projects with ongoing facility maintenance and on-site support.

The Rockhouse Hotel and its owners underwrite all administrative expenses of the foundation, ensuring every cent of every donation goes directly to its projects and programs, positively impacting the lives of thousands of young people and their families.

The decomposing body of 24-year-old mother Shantel Dyer was discovered buried in a concrete vault at her home in Pee Wee Lane, Negril, Westmoreland, Wednesday evening.

However, the whereabouts of her three- year-old daughter, Orlandi Miller remains a mystery.

Dyer's body was removed from . Her common law husband, who is said to be in America, is being sought in connection with her murder and the disappearance of the child.

Before he left the island towards the end of April, the three lived together at the Negril home.

It is speculated that Dyer, who was said to have been in an early stage of pregnancy, was killed by her boyfriend who accused her of getting pregnant by another man.

The police confirm that acting on a tip that Dyer was killed, her mother contacted the law enforcers who subsequently destroyed the vault discovered in the house where they discovered the decomposed body, tightly wrapped in over 30 garbage bags and three white sheets.

The body was positively identified as that of Dyer's by family members by a tattoo.

According to http://blackdoctor.org/514411/so-why-are-women-putting-wasps-nests-in-their-vagina/, there are a number of sources that claim that wasp nests promises to single-handedly tighten and clean the vagina with the added bonus of preventing cervical cancer. The tradition hails from Southeast Asia and Malaysia, where women supposedly first used the nests after childbirth to restore the elasticity of the uterine wall.

The nests, also called oak galls, are formed when a gall wasp lays eggs in a tree's leaf buds as a home for the larva to develop. The chemical substance introduced by wasps to make the galls is what retailers claim can heal the uterine wall after childbirth, repair an episiotomy cut (a surgical procedure to prevent tearing during childbirth) when the paste of the galls is applied and also clean out the vagina. Also, any burning sensation is supposed to be "proof" of that it is a powerful astringent. I'm giving a serious side eye to that theory.

These things are being sold on sites like Amazon and Etsy. Because the tree regards the larvae as an irritant, it naturally creates a hard shell around it and the little worms inside feed off the growth until they can break free. Some holistic practitioners believe that once the oak galls are ground up and mixed into a paste or boiled and used as a vaginal wash, their astringent properties will tighten and firm the muscles of the vagina, and ultimately improve elasticity.

Meanwhile, doctors are cautioning against it, insisting that it can do more harm than good. A few such unpleasant side effects include painful sex due to dryness of the vaginal wall, the diminishment of healthful bacteria (which can lead to yeast infections) and, like all intravaginal practices, an increased risk of infections, including HIV.

Also, as far as experiencing vaginal burning when anything -- wasp nests or otherwise -- is applied, that's not generally a good sign."Here's a pro tip," says Dr. Jen Gunter, a gynecologist who wrote a blog post in response to the vaginal wasp nests. "If something burns when you apply it to the vagina, it is generally bad for the vagina." Gunter has likewise voiced concerns over other methods of "vaginal rejuvenation," including V-steaming (Gwyneth Paltrow's go-to) and herbal "womb detox pearls," which can lead to toxic shock syndrome.

Fired FBI Director James Comey kicked off the most watched political testimony in years by blasting the 'lies' told after President sacked him, blasting an administration he says chose to 'demean' him.

In his opening comments, he called out 'shifting explanations' that followed his firing, and specifically pointed to Trump's televised comment that he fired Comey because of the FBI's Russia investigation.

'The administration then chose to demean me and more importantly the FBI,' Comey complained at the top of his remarks.

'Those were lies, plain and simple,' he said.

He said he kept detailed records of his interactions with the president because he was 'honestly concerned that [Trump] might lie about the nature of our meeting.'

It was a contrast to the reviews he got from the president while he was in office. 'He had repeatedly told me I was doing a great job and he hoped I would stay.

In an early revelation, Comey stopped short of describing a conversation where Trump asked him to let go of an investigation into fired national security advisor Mike Flynn as obstruction of justice, which is a federal crime.

'General Flynn at that point of time was in legal jeopardy. There was an open FBI criminal investigation of his statements in connection with the Russian contacts and the contacts themselves,' Comey said.

'I don't think it's for me to say whether the conversation I had with the president was an effort to obstruct. I took it as a very disturbing thing, very concerning. But that's a conclusion I'm sure the special counsel will work towards, to try and understand what the intention was there, and whether that's an offense,' he said.

Comey explained why he kept detailed memos on his conversations and meetings with the president - something he said he didn't do with President George W. Bush and Barack Obama because there wasn't a need.

'I knew that there might come a day when I would need a record of what had happened, not just to defend myself but to defend the FBI and our integrity as an institution,' Comey said.

'I was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting, so I thought it really important to document,' he said.

Comey also explained how he interpreted Trump's statement in an unusual one-on-one meeting where he asked Comey to let the investigation of security advisor Mike Flynn go.

Jailed dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel has apparently been unaffected by this afternoon's fire at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre. Kartel is serving a life sentence there for murder.

According to reports, the fire affected the George Davis Centre, at the institution which was once known as the General Penetentiary, and is today still referred to as GP. The George Davis Centre houses the mentally ill. They were all relocated to a safe section of the prison.

As expected fans of the Gaza general, Vybz Kartel, took to social media expressing their concern for the deejay.

He was recently relocated to GP, after having served a portion of his sentence at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre. There was a national debate that Kartel had been recording songs while incarcerated at Horizon.

The police report that a man only known as 'Little Junior' of Barnes Road, Rockfort, Kingston who was listed as wanted on Sunday, has surrendered to the police.The police said Barrett's attorney escorted him to the police station today.

However, the police say two men are still left to turn themselves in.

Dwayne Barrett, also known as 'Nookie' also of Barnes Road, Rockfort in Kingston and Andrew Facey, otherwise called 'Andrew Phang' also of a Rockfort address in the parish are being advised to turn themselves in immediately.

According to police, Bartlett is said to frequent D'Aguilar Road, Glasspole Avenue and Shanty Town area of Rockfort, while Facey is said to frequent Adastra Road and La' Cruise Road also in Rockfort.

Anyone knowing their whereabouts is being asked to contact the Kingston Eastern Criminal Investigation Branch at 948-4200, police 119 emergency number, Crime Stop at 311 or 811 or the nearest police station. Persons can also share information with the police via the Stay Alert app.

Leader of the Opposition Dr Peter Phillips says he is saddened by news of the loss of Captain Horace Burrell.

"Jamaica will always remain grateful to Captain Burrell who, as the head of the Jamaica Football Federation, believed in the potential of our national players and took Jamaica's game to the global playing field," Phillips said in a release.

He noted that Burrell made a significant contribution to national development through football and the exposure of Jamaican players and he will be missed.

Burrell, who was 67 years old, died today. He was known to be battling cancer since last year.

The People's National Party is in mourning following the murder of one of their stalwarts, Maxine Simpson, the assistant to Karl Blake, the councillor for the Greenwich Town division in the St Andrew South West constituency of Portia Simpson Miller. Councillor Blake was shot and injured in the attack which left his female assistant dead.

Ms Simpson was killed in the attack around 8 p.m Sunday at their divisional office at Caribbean Palms off Spanish Town Road in Kingston.‎ Blake who received shots to his upper body was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery.

The police have yet to release details about the circumstances of the shooting.‎‎

In the meantime, several of Blake's colleagues in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation have taken to social media to extend support.

"Please pray for Councillor Karl Blake who was shot not long ago. Our prayers at the KSAMC (Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corpoation) are with him. Condolences go out to the family [of] Mr Blake's personal assistant," Mayor Delroy Williams tweeted.‎

Councillor, Duane Smith tweeted: "My deepest prayers for my colleague Karl Blake who was shot and injured and my sympathies to the family of his secretary who was killed."‎

Lady Ivy Cooke, an educator and the widow of former governor general, Sir Howard Cooke has died.

She was 100 years old.

The first announcement was made on Twitter this afternoon by former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller: "Just heard that Lady Ivy Cooke, widow of Sir Howard Cooke has passed. She is now reunited with the love of her life. Walk good Miss Ivy," Simpson Miller tweeted.

Reports are that Lady Cooke died at the Andrew's Memorial Hospital in St Andrew Monday afternoon.

Sir Howard died in July, 2014 at the age of 98.

The union produced three children - Justice Howard Cooke Jr, Richard and Audrey.

In a statement a short while ago, Prime Minister Andrew Holness hailed Lady Cooke for her contribution to education in Jamaica.

After a long period of silence, fans of deejay Buju Banton have finally heard from him. The incarcerated entertainer sent fans a poignant letter via Facebook on Friday, thanking them for their loyalty and pointing to a better future upon his release.

"To all of my fans who have stood beside me I thank you. Your actions, letters and heartfelt prayers have been appreciated. I thank you and am humbled by your kindness - I am with you and you with me. Always. After many years there were a multitude of my fans gathered on a page automatically generated from your search for me and my official page. With the approval of my official page you were migrated here...And at last we are reunited. I will be with you again soon - they may have the past and present ... but the future belongs to us. Bless..." he wrote.

Buju Banton, whose given name is Mark Myrie, is scheduled to be released from prison on December 8, 2018.

In a recent Instagram post curvy diva Yanique decided that there is a time for everything...and that was indeed the time to clown out her own self.

This is what she posted: "My little pumpkin ever flop me, after me feel all trendy in my dress with my breast all out and sexy," she wrote. "She just remind me that the main purpose of the breast is to feed them 😂😂😂😂😂 (I just called her Mom because my breast have no Milk just plastic)."

The events hostess and recording artiste clearly has a sense of humour and must have anticipated that someone on social media would have made a comment similar to that. So, before they said, she did.

Yanique 'Curvy Diva' Barrett is actually the mother of one, a daughter who she protects from the glare of social media. The child she was caring for was either a relative of the baby of a good friend.

Police have identified the three persons including a teenager who were murdered last night on Jones Avenue in Spanish Town, St. Catherine. Dead are 14 year old Travis Labbon, 43 year old Evette Bailey and 24 year old Mario Burkette otherwise called 'Rocky", all of Jones Avenue.

According to reports from the Spanish Town criminal investigation branch, CIB, explosions were heard in the community and the Police were summoned.

Upon the arrival of the lawmen, Labbon, Bailey and Burkette were seen with what appeared to be gunshot wounds to their heads in their home. A female who was also wounded was taken to hospital for treatment.

Persons with information are being asked to call the Police at 119, 811,311, 984-2874 or the nearest police station.

According to one Bible scholar, Pastor Onaolapo Ajibade: "The same pride and selfishness that brought Lucifer down from his lofty position as the head of all the angels would bring Babylon down from its position as the most powerful nation of the then world. It is proper then that inspiration introduces the fall of Lucifer in the context of the fall of Babylon.

Lucifer purposed in his heart: "I will be like the Most High" (v.14). That was pride at apogee!

Pride is the most insidious and dangerous of all sins. Every human being, whether saint or sinner, has some pride. To think I do not have it is proof that I am deceived. In the Church, people get dis-fellowshipped for adultery but not for pride, because pride is a "respectable" sin. But my guess is that more people will be excluded from heaven by pride than by any other sin.(Why did the Pharisees, in spite of overwhelming evidence, reject Jesus as the Messiah?) The only power that can break pride is the power of the Holy Spirit..

Isaiah Ch 14, 11 - 14

11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

"Pride is the most insidious and dangerous of all sins" Pride filled Satan's heart so completely and caused him to rebel against God.

Look at "The 5 I Wills" of Satan:

1) "I will ascend into heaven"

2) "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God"

3) "I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north"

4) "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds" is a reference to Satan's desire to rule the created universe.

5) "I will be like the Most High"

He lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden and is still using the same lie on men and women today: that they can become gods.

It is the same sin of pride that leads to rebellion still rear its ugly head in our own lives. There is an old saying goes, "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay." Each time we sin, we reinforce a pattern that becomes harder and harder to break. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse our sins.

Someone wrote in his bible: "This book will keep you away from sin, or sin will keep you away from this book."

The Donald Trump administration has rolled out a new questionnaire for U.S. visa applicants worldwide that asks for social media handles for the last five years and biographical information going back 15 years.

The new questions, part of an effort to tighten vetting of would-be visitors to the United States, was approved on May 23 by the US Office of Management and Budget. According to a Reuters report, critics argue that the new questions will be overly burdensome, lead to long delays in processing and discourage persons from travelling to the United States.

Under the new procedures, consular officials can request all prior passport numbers, five years' worth of social media handles, email addresses and phone numbers as well as 15 years of biographical information including addresses, employment and travel history.

A State Department official said representatives will request the additional information when they determine it is required to confirm identity or conduct more rigorous national security vetting. The State Department said the tighter vetting would apply to visa applicants who have been determined to warrant additional scrutiny in connection with terrorism or what it described as other national security-related visa ineligibilities.

While the new questions are voluntary, the form says failure to provide the information may delay or prevent the processing of an individual visa application.

Meanwhile, Reuters is reporting that immigration lawyers and advocates in the US have raised concerns about the new visa requirements. They stated that the request for 15 years of detailed biographical information, as well as the expectation that applicants provide all their social media handles, will likely catch applicants who make innocent mistakes or do not remember all the information requested.

President of the Iranian American Bar Association, Babak Yousefzadeh, says the new questions grant arbitrary power to consular officials to determine who gets a visa with no effective check on their decisions. He said the need for tightening the application process further is unclear.

High Times, the magazine that has chronicled the transformation of marijuana use from an underground vice to a major American business, said on Thursday that it had been acquired by a group of investors that includes Damian Marley, son of the reggae star Bob Marley.

The group, led by Adam Levin, the founder of the investment firm Oreva Capital, bought a controlling interest at a price that values the magazine at $70 million, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

In a news release, the new ownership group said it planned to expand the publication's audience and its events business.

"I think most would agree it was not executing business at max potential under the legacy framework established by the founders," Mr. Levin, who will become chief executive of High Times Holding Co., said in a statement. "We are going to build on the strong base they created to bring High Times from the authority in the counterculture movement to a modern media enterprise.

The magazine, which in January moved its headquarters to Los Angeles, had previously been owned by the New York-based Trans High Corp.

Mr. Marley, a reggae artist like his father, noted that he had started reading High Times in high school. "It is now an honour to be a part of the High Times legacy that I've been a fan of for so many years," he said in a statement.

The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade as a subversive record of the marijuana counterculture. Whereas Playboy centerfolds displayed buxom women, High Times centerfolds displayed beautiful buds. It offered how-to instructions for growing at home, and even advice on best practices for smuggling marijuana.

These days, as marijuana acceptance has grown and states continue to legalize its use, High Times balances lifestyle writing with more serious coverage of "ganjapreneurs" and the "cannabusiness."

Ariana Grande's upcoming concert One Love Manchester has sold out in just six minutes, organisers have announced.

The tickets went on sale at 10am on Thursday morning and by 10.11, they had tweeted that they were completely sold out.

Ariana also tweeted about the tickets, but was already too late.

The One Love Manchester concert is set to take place on Sunday June 4.

Ticketmaster said in a statement: 'Ticketmaster was unsurprisingly met with remarkable demand for One Love Manchester tickets we had on sale this morning - 140,000 fans were on the website and our call centre was buzzing.

'With over 450,000 searches on our site for One Love Manchester over the last 24 hours, demand was always going to be extremely high.

'We are happy to report that there are thousands of fans who successfully purchased tickets during the general onsale.'

Sean Paul is calling on Drake to give dancehall and Jamaican culture more homage.

It's no secret that Drake has taken such a liking towards dancehall culture that he recorded an entire album full of dancehall influenced singles. The album Views was the biggest selling album released by any artist last year and one of the biggest in decades release by a rapper. Last Year Sean Paul sound off on Drake saying that not only he was not the best rapper, but he doesn't make good dancehall music.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Hull, he claimed that the rapper should have given greater 'accolades' on the hit track - which was the best-selling UK single of 2016.

He said: 'I think at the time when it was popping off, it would have been good for him to actually put accolades towards the whole culture.

'He's friendly with a few people in the business in Jamaica and that's good, I love it.

'But if he had given more accolades when he was actually making it and said "this is the music I love", it would have been cool.'

Bringing Ed Sheeran into the debate, he added: 'Ed Sheeran has done one song that is huge and it's dancehall reminiscent.

'But that is one song, he [Drake] had an album full of dancehall so I think he should have paid a bit of an accolade and told people in the press that is where I'm coming from, I have a love for that music.'

The dancehall legend also spoke about hearing the patter of tiny feet after welcoming his first child, son Levi Blaze, with wife Jodi Stewart in February.

'It's been three months now and I'm getting the daddy muscles!', he joked.

'A lot of stuff has changed, but it's only for the better. He's brought light into our lives and we're really thankful."

And when it came to his own music, he teased a forthcoming collaboration with Shakira - having previously worked with the likes of SIA and Little Mix in recent years.

He said: 'I just released a new song with Migos that is about to pop off on radios, big up to them!

'I'm also looking forward to dropping a single with Shakira, it's being mixed right now!'

The raunchy, run-things female dancehall star, Spice, had quite an experience on stage at the Bayfront Park, in Miami, Florida over the weekend. A woman jumped on stage and proceeded to dagger..yes DAGGER... Spice good and proper. And Spice appeared to enjoy it all.

So, will somebody please tell us what a gwaan? Wha really a gwaan inna dancehall?

A 76-year-old retired parish council worker from Trelawny, on Tuesday took home a cheque for a whopping $117 million which was his total for winning a share of the June 16 Super Lotto.

The pensioner, identified only as W Gordon from Granville near Falmouth, tried his best to disguise himself by putting on a red, green and gold tam with hanging locks covering his face. The locks are fake, however, as Mr Gordon says he is a Christian.

According to that he is a devout Methodist who attends church in Falmouth and believes that God had a hand in his luck.

Interestingly, in an interview with another site, Mr Gordon says almost missed out on his super blessing, $117 million prize, after a friend provided him with the incorrect draw results.

"I bought my ticket days before the draw, around Wednesday, and I didn't check my numbers same time. I asked someone to give me the draw numbers but the ones he gave me were wrong.

But Gordon, a Trelawny resident who has been an avid Lotto and Super Lotto player for over 10 years, had a hunch to check the numbers himself. He was right. And the rest is history.

Hundreds of persons came out on Wednesday to pay their final respects to the late president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Captain Horace Burrell, at a Thanksgiving Service at the National Arena in Kingston.

Several persons paid tribute to Captain, among them Bruce Gaynor, JFF's vice president; Brazilian Rene Simoes, former Reggae Boyz technical director; Canadian Victor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF and vice president of FIFA; Curacao's Rignaal Francisca, acting president of the Caribbean Football Union, Sports Minister Olivia Grange and Portia Simpson-Miller, former Prime Minister of Jamaica.

Musical tributes in songs were came from Ernie Smith, who did "I Believe", the Jamaica Constabulary Force choir, Richie Stephens who sang "My Way" and Ashe Assembly - the group performing "Rise Up", which was done to celebrate Jamaica's qualification to the World Cup in France 1998.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness read the first lesson, with Opposition Leader Dr. Peter Phillips doing the second, Burrell's friend Julie Jones the third and the fourth done by Captain Burrell's brothers, Carlton and Edward.Captain Burrell's close friend, Horace Reid, a former General Secretary of the JFF, did the eulogy.

Reverend Adinhair Jones gave the homily and he preached about the resurrection, with Al Miller, who worked closely with Captain Burrell during his tenure as president of the JFF, prayed for the family.

The National Arena was transformed into the national colours of black, green and gold and Captain Burrell's casket was draped with a flag of Jamaica.

The Combined Military Band was also a vital part of the service and their duties included playing the National Anthem at the beginning of the service.

Captain Burrell led the JFF from 1994, excepting for a four-year period. After ailing for the past year, Captain Burrell passed away on June 6 at the John Hopkins Oncology Centre in Baltimore, USA, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer. He was 67.

The case of the American woman on trial for informing a crew of seven Jamaican-born men, suspected to be drug-dealers, about an investigation being conducted by her former husband, who is a police detective, and his team is rather interesting. The woman pleaded guilty in court in the US and faces a maximum punishment is 20 years in federal prison and a fine of US$250,000.

According to a report from the SunSentinel, the defence for Porsha Session, 31, said she acted naively to retaliate against her then-husband because he was cheating on her. Federal authorities said that her actions compromised the undercover investigation and an insider informant who was secretly working with them was "outed" and the man died of a gunshot wound a short time later under suspicious circumstances but was officially ruled a suicide, US media reported.

SunSentinel also stated that Session's defence attorney Fred Haddad said that there was no evidence to suggest she was aware of the potential consequences and recommended that she be sentenced to house arrest, partly because she has no prior criminal history. However, prosecutors said that because Session was married to a police, she should have known the potential dangers and that she was putting others at risk, adding that she deserves a much harsher punishment than the 15 to 21 months in prison recommended by sentencing guidelines.

Session admitted that she snooped in her now ex-husband's work email and discovered memos that contained sensitive information about the investigation, the suspects and an informant who was working for agents inside the group.She pleaded guilty to federal obstruction of an official proceeding - a grand jury investigation - and admitted she made six phone calls to one of the suspected drug dealers and warned him that an insider was helping law enforcement, SunSentinel outlined.

The undercover investigation, which started in October 2012, was focused on a "crew" of seven Jamaican-born men suspected of operating a significant drug-dealing business in the Lauderhill and Fort Lauderdale areas, prosecutors Jeffrey Kaplan and Paul Schwartz said.

The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says it has written to Digicel requesting an explanation on the company's decision to start charging a prepaid maintenance fee (PMF) to customers whose monthly spend falls below $50.

The OUR, in a release this morning, said it also wants Digicel to provide evidence that it had provided customers with sufficient advance notice; the exact amount to be charged; and the basis of such a charge.

Digicel has been asked to respond to the OUR's queries by Friday.

OUR said it received a letter dated June 23, 2017 from Digicel, advising that the purpose of the PMF is to ensure that all customers adequately contribute to the cost of operating and maintaining their accounts on its systems and networks, in circumstances where they spend less than $50 within a calendar month.

This new measure took effect on Thursday, June 22.

In its response, the OUR noted that while Digicel has updated its terms and conditions on its website with the PMF (clause 10.4), there is no indication of when its customers were notified, if indeed they were notified at all.

The OUR also expressed its disappointment that Digicel had not notified the regulator of this new fee prior to implementation.

This is an all too familiar issue with Digicel prepaid customers - The Case of the Missing Credit. And when you call, the same old, boring LIAD tales - 'Your Data Was On and it reserved some of the credit."

"No mam/Sir, my Data is OFF!'

Here, one customers lays out his case in an online comment and we can all relate,. Please read

"TS • 5 hours ago

They (Digicel) should also be questioned about the missing credit from customers accounts they claimed was used by data service and worse sending one sms and been charged for four. Finally experienced the missing credit phenomenon and when called them was told i used data. This is despite for the entire time period i didn't use any form of mobile data and was only on wifi.

What made it worse was that same day in the early morning i tried to make a call and couldn't get through to the person, then sent them a text which right after got multiple notifications about free text, with last one saying to send one more to get free text. Checked credit and saw they charged me for four text despite only sending one. Less than an hour later made a call for nearly a minute, however never checked my credit afterwards, until in the afternoon tried to make a call only after about 10 seconds to hear that i need to top up to continue making calls.

When finally got through to a csr later on, i was told it was because i used data for over five minutes during the time period of early morning when i sent the text they overcharged for. Which is extremely weird since I'm well versed in technology especially the aspect of hardware and software for mobile devices and even computers. During that entire period mobile data wad never turned on and only wifi was used, which was verified when check phones data usage, which showed for that time period no form of mobile data was used for the entire day and the last time mobile data was used was over three days before the incident.

Even for the text overcharged they tried to claim i might have sent multiple text, despite the person i text more than once verified they only received one short text from me. The data usage was also further proven to be a lie, by the fact how i could use data for over five minutes, yet no trace of it shows up in monitor software on device, along with data was never turn on, the amount they claimed i used for data is nearly the same amount i had left after they charged for multiple text instead of one, yet was able to make a call for nearly an entire minute and still had credit left to make an further call for over 10 seconds in the after after they had taken credit from my account.

Incidents like these need to be investigated, because not all incidents where they claim data was used is true and it isn't hard have the software governing account info to randomly remove credit from accounts and record it had data, despite the owner of the account having never used data."

Sources close to former Downsound Records singer says Ishawna would've been a better fit for the job as she made the brand a lot of money last month when she dropped her 'Equal Rights' singer however the company is afraid of taking risks.

"Goodie [Ishawna] was the better candidate but dem fraid because muma raw so i kinda understand how the business good," the source said. "More opportunities will come again but wi feel away nah guh lie but congrats to Shenseea same way a woman time now."

Below are some of the comments on Alkaline's video and the police's reactions:

"It's a movie...with props..no different than Jimmy Cliff in "The Harder They Come" ( as a matter of fact the gully scene can be viewed as a tribute to that great JAMAICAN cult film)

Are we saying that because this movie seeks to portray the current Jamaican reality, it is not fit for public digestion?"

"The open display of guns"...of course ..it's a movie.. gangster movies have guns...I'm sure the relevant permits/supervision/permissions were obtained. The director is one of the country's best...I'm sure he wouldn't jeapordise his reputation by not sticking to the rules."

"The police vehicle that was used...if it turns out to be an actual service vehicle..must have been authorised...let's see if any divisional Commander is going to be sanctioned.

And lastly...the "police woman" ....any body can see that the uniform is fake...."

The members of the police force are up in arms after Alkaline's After All video portrays them in a negative light. According to reports, the police are especially concerned about a sex scene featuring a female dressed as police constable, and also the presence in the video of what seems to be an official service vehicle.

Checks are now being made to ascertain if the vehicle is actually a part of the official fleet of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Also its understood that persons represented as cops will also be questioned.

Commissioner of Police George Quallo has reportedly ordered an immediate investigation into the video which shows individuals smoking ganja, brazenly toting guns, cursing, and interspersed with a sex scene.

According to one news outlet, as a result of especially the sex scene and the open carrying of guns featured in the video, many policemen and women are taking the position that they will not be carrying out any duties at events where Alkaline will be performing in the future.

Drink Brand Pepsi Jamaica has signed singjay Shenseea as its Brand Ambassador.

This signing was held at Pepsi Jamaica's Spanish Town Road headquarters in Kingston recently.

She joins fellow Pepsi ambassadors Busy Signal, who is the face and voice of the Joy of Pepsi campaign and Konshens who was apart of the brand's Pepsi Bubbla campaign.

The 20 year old fast rising sensation who emerged on the dancehall scene with the single Jiggle in 2016 and quickly rose to fame with hit track Loodi featuring Vybz Kartel, says she's grateful for the opportunity to work with the global brand.

She is now in Puerto Rico where it is expected that she will perform over the weekend.

Police say Hanover's most wanted man, Thirty-three-year-old Shernardo Leslie otherwise called "Blacks" was fatally shot in an attack on the police on Friday.

Reports from the Lucea Police are that about 8:50 p.m., a police operation was in progress when a motorcar was signalled to stop. Men alighted from the vehicle and opened gunfire at the Police who returned gunfire.

Leslie, who police say is a multiple murderer, was later discovered with gunshot wounds and rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The other men made good their escape in the area.

The Inspectorate of the Constabulary and the Independent Commission of Investigations INDECOM are investigating.

However, in an interview with the Gleaner, Superintendent of Police Sharon Beeput, the commanding officer for the Hanover Police Division, is quoted as saying that Leslie was a known enforcer in the parish.

"This man has been giving us a lot of trouble since the start of the year. We believe he has had a hand in the vast majority of the 36 murders we have had in the parish this year," said Beeput. "With him now out of the way, we should have some measure of peace now."

Leslie, known in the criminal underworld as 'Blacks,' was implicated in a recent quadruple murder, two triple murders and two double murders. He was said to be the chief enforcer for the One Voice gang, one of the three criminal gangs operating in the parish.

A senior citizen who pleaded guilty to impregnating an underage girl 10 years ago, was sentenced to three years imprisonment when he appeared in the St Catherine circuit court.

He is 70-year-old Cecil hall of Linstead St Catherine.

Hall's troubles with the court started after he attended family court in February for a maintenance hearing.

During his attendance, he allegedly said that he would not be paying anymore money to the mother of his 10-year-old child.

The child's mother then revealed to the court that he needs to live up to his responsibility and that he impregnated her when she was only 15 years old. An inquiry was made by the presiding parish judge, after which documentary evidence confirmed that hall committed carnal abuse.

Sergeant attached to the Kingston Western Division was shot and injured and three illegal firearms seized in two separate attacks on the Police in West Kingston, last night. Reports are that about 12:30 a.m, a police team was on duty in the Coronation Market and its environs when a group of men armed with high-powered weapons attempted to enter the market space.

The police were however vigilant and took command of the space and prevented them from doing so, as a result the gunmen fired at the police who countered the attack.

During the shooting, the sergeant was shot and injured as also one of the gunmen.

On the approach of the police to the injured gunman the team came under heavy gunfire from the Lizard Town and Tivoli Gardens communities. Reinforcement was sought and teams from Divisions within Area 4, Mobile Reserve and the Jamaica Defence Force assisted.

Both injured men were taken to hospital where the policeman was treated and the unidentified gunman pronounced dead. Two firearms, a 9mm pistol and a .38 revolver were seized in the incident.

About an hour earlier in the Rose Town community, a police team was on mobile patrol when they too were attacked by gunmen armed with high-powered weapons. The lawmen repelled the challenge and the gunmen fled. The gunmen were however accosted by another police team that was on patrol in the area.

One gunman was shot and injured and a 9mm Luger pistol with two rounds of ammunition seized from him. The other men escaped in the community.

Councillor for the Payne Land Division in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Council Audrey Smith Facey looks set to be the next Member of Parliament for St Andrew South Western. Reports are that she is miles ahead of Karl Blake the other candidate interested in replacing outgoing Member of Parliament Portia Simpson Miller.

Blake is the councillor for the Greenwich Town Division, also in the constituency of St Andrew South Western. He is recuperating from a brazen attack by gunmen recently, when he was shot at the divisional office located at Caribbean Palms along Spanish Town Road in the constituency.

His divisional secretary and longstanding member of the PNP, Maxine Simpson was killed during the incident.

Shabba Ranks(Mr Loverman) performed all his hits and wooed the massive crowd.

He exited the stage after 4 am Saturday morning.

He performed his signature hit 'Twice My Age', in which Nadine Sutherland sang Crystals part,...Xanadu sang Cocoa T's song & sounded just like the dread.

Mavado entered the stage after 4 am,he was the closing act..

Prior to Shabba Ranks was the Go Go Dolls.their set was over an hour..

Earlier In the evening Third World performed.

Speaking at a Music Festival artiste press conference Friday morning, Head of the Artiste selection committee Jonel Powel had oromised with the level of talent for Friday night's (June 23) lineup, fans could certainly expect great performances.

The second staging of the Washington, DC Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival took place Sunday, June 18th and brought together thousands of guests at its new venue, RFK Stadium. The fun-filled day included mainstage and cultural stage performances, mouthwatering jerk food selections from various vendors, an interactive Kidz Zone, Jerk Cook-off Pavilion and more. VIP Vibe zone ticket holders were offered an exclusive fan experience with an all-inclusive menu, waiter service, and a premium viewing area. Everywhere you turned there was something exciting to experience.

The hot sweltering day kicked off with The Cultural/Fusion Stage which never fails to give the crowd a taste of the islands, all hosted by Susan Davis aka Dr. Sue. This year's theme was "Jamaica 55" and it featured some of DMV's most talented entertainers, authors, and performers showcasing their love and appreciation of Jamaica such as Hyacinth Swaby-Holder the author, "My Papa Used to Say," a book filled with Jamaican proverbs. The Braata Folk Singers performed songs and interactive games reminiscent of old-time Jamaica, taking the audience down memory lane. The entertainment intensified once local favorites Ras Slick and Image band turned up the heat on the Main Stage. Host and Comedian, Ragashanti kept the crowd engaged with his humorous comments as he introduced the acts. He shared MC duties with DC's own Tony Carr. DJ Ricky Platinum, DJ G-Nice and ABlazin Radio DJs made sure there wasn't a dull moment during band change, keeping the crowd pumped up in between performances.

Patrons relaxed and found shade while enjoying their jerk meals but soca's royal couple Bunji Garlin and Fay-Ann Lyons got the crowd up and moving, as they brought the carnival energy to the Jerk Festival performing songs like 'Big Bad Soca' and 'Girls.' Soon after, Romain Virgo rocked the stage by performing a collection of hits and introduced the crowd to his latest single 'Now'. Queen Ifrica wowed festival attendees with a stellar 45-Minute set where she encouraged unity through her songs and empowered the women with a motivational speech. Tarrus Riley concluded the show with a slew of songs from his vast music catalog and with the support Dean Fraser horns of steel the audience couldn't get enough, especially when Tarrus Riley called the Queen back on stage to close out the show together. The performances were only one aspect of the lively 9-hour day. Patrons enjoyed tasting the various vendors such as T&G Flavors, Hellshire Style Fish, Jamrock Jerk, Southern Caribbean, Rick's Cafe and much more. The Reggae Music Journey Exhibition has developed into one of the festivals favorite elements, where Patricia Chin, founder of VP Records, and owner of Riddim Driven Clothing, greets fans of the culture and take them through the Reggae experience at VP Records.

The Jerk Cook-off Pavilion featured cooking demonstrations and tastings by Chef Andre Fowles, winner of Food Network's Chopped Champion and Chef Irie, host of Taste The Islands television show on PBS. Washington DC's own Chef Giovanni Merle showcased one of his tasty recipes and soca sensation Fay Ann Lyons took home the Dutch Pot Trophy after winning the Celebrity Quickfire Challenge where she competed against WJLA ABC News anchor, Michelle Marsh.

Mayor of DC, Muriel Bowser, made a special appearance and addressed the audience, sharing her excitement for having the jerk festival in DC for the 2nd year in a row. "I am happy to have the Grace.

The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival, DC is presented by the Institute of Caribbean Studies and produced by Jamaican Jerk Festival NY, LLC in association with VP Records.

Father of two, Chris Martin is enjoying life with new(ish) girlfriend, Brittny Newman. Yes, the same one who a study architecture and who social media did drag when Chris reveal her wha day yah.

Well, haters, Chris doan care what oonu haffi seh cause him and she fly out go a St Lucia wha day yah and...who in love like dem?

Oonu memba when Chris did post this to her and mash up everybody head?

"It's ur special day today...Enjoy it and I pray the almighty will continue to bless u and keep u safe as ur soul grows more beautiful everyday," he wrote. "I'm happy for ur existence and even happier u r apart of my life...Happy birthday."

More than 50 artists including One Direction, Robbie Williams, Stormzy, Rita Ora and Jessie J gave their time to record vocals for the fundraising cover version of Simon & Garfunkel's classic song in aid of those affected by the tragedy.

Simon Cowell 's star studded charity single raising money for all those affected by the devastating Grenfell Tower fire has been released.

Its accompanying video will premiere on Wednesday evening on ITV before Coronation Street airs.

More than 50 artists including One Direction's Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Robbie Williams, The Who's Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, Stormzy , Rita Ora, Jessie J and Pixie Lott gave their time to record vocals for the fundraising track.

Social media fave, Facebook Hero has released a stern diss track which takes pointed aim at confused Dancehall artiste Khago.

FB Hero, who has moved up the food chain and is now not just a social media sensation, but also an artiste, used his Instagram account over the weekend to release the diss track.

Of course, it was seen as a direct response to Khago's recent single dissing up all the bloggers and vloggers including Rawpa Crawpa, SouFloTv, CMR TV, Dr Love and Facebook Hero after they criticized his new 'freaky songs.'

Khago's "Come Inna Mi Place" single is said to be supporting oral sex, and many persons want nothing to do with both Khago and the controversial song.

A US trial for 10 defendants in a multimillion-dollar Jamaican lottery scam case has been delayed until early next year.

US District Judge Dan Hovland rescheduled the trial that was to begin July 17 in federal court in North Dakota to January 22, 2018, after one of the suspects' attorneys said he had a conflict next month and also needed more time to prepare.

Federal prosecutors didn't object to the change. US Attorney Chris Myers anticipates the trial might last as long as three weeks.

A total of 15 people are charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering in the scam that authorities said bilked at least 90 mostly elderly Americans out of more than US$5.7 million. The suspects could face decades in prison if convicted.

Nine of the 10 suspects facing trial are Jamaicans who pleaded not guilty earlier this year. They include Lavrick Willocks, who authorities allege was the mastermind. The tenth suspect is a US citizen who pleaded not guilty in August 2015.

Two of the remaining five suspects are in custody in Jamaica awaiting extradition, and three remain fugitives.

Authorities have dubbed the case "Operation Hard Copy," a reference to lists of prospective victims' contact information used by scammers. North Dakota authorities began investigating in 2012, starting with the case of a Harvey woman who lost her life savings of more than US$300,000 to the scam. The probe involves the FBI, the US Postal Inspection Service and the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs.

The police are reporting that a major operation in the Kingston Western Division on Thursday, led to the arrest of three wanted men and three persons of interest -- one of whom was wanted for questioning in relation to the murder of two people and the injuring of another at the Coronation Market in downtown Kingston -- on Wednesday.

The man, whose identity is being withheld, was nabbed during an operation that began about 4:00 am and spanned several communities to include Tivoli Gardens, Golden Heights, Pink Lane, Charles Street and Hannah Town.

Two other persons of interest were also arrested during the operation.

One of the men is wanted for questioning in relation to the murder/shooting on Metcalfe Street. The other is wanted for questioning in relation to a murder in the Kingston Central Division.

Additionally, three men who were wanted for various offences including robbery and shootings were also arrested, while another three were arrested on warrants.

Thursday night, 11-year-old Taysha Hughes, also called Angel,a student of the Holy Family Primary Schoolwas murdered in Central Kingston in a hail of bullets.

Now, the Police are theorizing that her killing was a reprisal for the shooting death of alleged don, Nicholas Malcolm, in the community.

The police were reportedly processing the scene where Malcolm and a 12-year-old boy had been shot on Wildman Street about 10: 00 pm, when they were summoned to a second shooting on the nearby Fleet Street about 10:30pm.

They found Taysha along with four men suffering from gunshot wounds.One of the men, identified as 26-year-old Richard Allen otherwise called 'Finey', was wearing a mask, the police said.

Reports are that the girl was reportedly among three men standing on Fleet Street, when they were attacked by masked gunmen.

The police speculate that Allen was one of the attackers and was shot by his cronies.

The Court of Appeal on Friday morning dismissed the appeal brought by former People's National Party (PNP) president Portia Simpson Miller and four other party functionaries in the Trafigura case.

The decision was announced by Appeal Court President Dennis Morrison.

This paves the way for Mrs. Simpson Miller, PNP Chairman Robert Pickersgill, Regional Chairman Phillip Paulwell, former General Secretary Colin Campbell and businessman Norton Hinds to answer questions in open court.

The issue surrounds a $31 million donation made to the PNP by the Dutch firm Trafigura Baheer in 2006.

This raised questions regarding possible undue influence being exerted by the company which was seeking to do business with the Government of Jamaica at the time of the donation.

Eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt will run the 100 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco on July 21, organisers announced on Wednesday.

The Jamaican sprinting legend is competing in his final season before retirement and will use the Monaco event as a warm-up for the world championships in London that start on August 5.

The world-record holder (9.58sec) won his first race of the year in Kingston earlier this month in 10.03sec, and is also due to run in Ostrava on June 28.

Bolt, who has won three Olympic 100m-200m doubles, will only compete in the 100m for his farewell at the worlds.

The 30-year-old saw his tally of Olympic gold medals reduced from nine to eight earlier this year, when the Jamaican team were stripped of their 2008 4x100m medals after Nesta Carter's disqualification for doping.

The police are reporting that wo females are in custody following the seizure of a M16 assault rifle, two magazines and 31 rounds of ammunition on Commission Road in Rockfort, Kingston yesterday.

And many persons are gleeful that finally women are being held for crimes and criminality. The general consensus is that women (sot these two specifically, but women in general) have long been enablers for gunmen who kill at will.

"They should be shown no mercy by the Courts as a strong message needs to be sent that the desire to eat a food is no justification for being an enabler of criminality which is exactly what these women are doing," one person commented on social media.

"I hope after thorough investigation, they are found guilty and or they give up their men.... and all are locked away. Time for this slackness to stop.. All these so call bad men don't live in silos, their female companion are aware of there dealings. LOCK THEM UP...", another person has commented.

While a third sums it up thus: "Yes!! Lock them up, question them thoroughly, they knew about them. These are the types of mothers, sisters, babymothers, etc..whom are aiding and abetting these notorious criminals. They too, shall get some serious sentences, especially, if there are any 'bodies' on these arms! Time for the justice department to start use these female "hoodlums" as examples. I am telling you, THEY KNEW ABOUT THEM!!! Lock them up!!!!!"

According to reports from the police, during a special operation about 5:30 pm, a premises was searched and the firearm and ammunition found in the ceiling of a room.

The females, whose identities are being withheld pending further investigations, were subsequently arrested.

A grade nine student at the Norman Manley High School in St Andrew was stabbed in the back by a Grade 11 student who should not even have been at school, reports say.

The injured boy was rushed to hospital where he was admitted in a serious but stable condition, while his attacker, an older boy, fled the compound.

"This morning, a Grade 11 student, who should not even have been at school, came here and stabbed a Grade 9 boy in the back," said principal Adaire Powell-Brown.

"It seems to be an attack that was carried over from an altercation between the two some time ago away from the school. So it was rather strange that he would follow the young man here to commit the act," added Powell-Brown.

The principal lamented that despite efforts geared at instilling discipline and respect in the daily lives of her students, some would rather subscribe to uncaring and violent ways to exact revenge.

GROOVIN' - TURNING A DAY IN THE PARK INTO A MAGIC CARPET RIDE

NY: Groovin' In The Park is New York City's premier reggae and R & B concert taking place this Sunday in Roy Wilkins Park in Queens. The outdoor event is celebrating its seventh renewal, and over the years Groovin' has attracted a dazzing array of the finest available talent in both genres. Beres Hammond, Jimmy Cliff, Steel Pulse, Bob Andy, Morgan Heritage, Chronixx, Mavado, Toots, John Holt, Beenie Man, Stitchie and many other luminaries have blazed the reggae stage. On the R & B and pop side, the stage has been set on fire by Michael Bolton, Air Supply, Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Babyface, Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle, Billy Ocean, Brian McKnight and Boyz 11 Men.

But while the Groovin' talent list is unmistakably superlative year after year, another powerful attraction of the festival are the luxurious and thoughtful considerations that come with the Groovin' experience. For starters, this Sunday will be in the soul-warming 80s and a generous supply of bottled cold water will be distributed to attendees in the general admissions section. Attendees will have not just a choice of Jamaican food items but health-conscious culinary treats will be served up from cuisines from around the world. And almost a hundred portable bathrooms including fifteen outfitted for the handicapped will ensure that a visit to the restroom is never a 10K marathon on Sunday.

The VIP section of Groovin' will take on the posture of a tropical island with designers incorporating vibrant Caribbean colors in various sections that they have created in the park. Each VIP attendee will be supplied with two hot meals plus unlimited beverage while they jam to the sweet nostalgic sounds of Busy Signal, Freddie McGregor, Tarrus Riley, Ken Boothe, Leroy Sibblies and U Roy.

And in the VVIP luxury suites, a day in the park will become a blissful magic carpet ride. A limited number of elevated sky boxes will offer the prefect optics for viewing the pied piper of R & B, R Kelly and songbird and Grammy winner Stephanie Mills. An all-inclusive, unlimited gourmet experience against a backdrop of plush over-sized sofas, high ball tables and Ottoman chairs will make the Groovin' experience feel like more than a luxury resort. Each sky-suite will be provisioned with a bountiful basket of fresh fruits, and after the mouthwatering nouvelle Caribbean cuisine, VVIP guests can savor sweet delights like Sabrina's rum cake and sorrel cheese cake. The VIP and VVIP bathrooms will be spacious and self-flushing with attendants offering toiletries and fragrances by leading designer brands. Additionally, a round-the-clock janitorial crew will ensure that the entire venue is impeccabl e.

"My friends and I look forward to Groovin' In The Park every year", Myrna Merchant, a former banker and executive administrator in New York told Images Newsletter. "We love the music, but we also come for the natural mystic and the overall Groovin' experience which is priceless...it is a fabulous vibe session and reunion for family, friends, school mates and colleagues", she affirmed.

Chef Patrick

Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival; A Delicious Fun-Filled Experience

Queens, NY - Every Summer, for the last seven years, thousands have eagerly flocked to Roy Wilkins Park in Queens, to enjoy a sizzling day of mouthwatering jerk foods, cooking contests, celebrities, cultural performances, reggae, soca and dancehall music at the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival. This annual celebration of Caribbean culture will take place on Sunday, July 23 and promises an exciting entertainment package of top-tier performers delivering another delicious fun-filled experience.

"We have upped the ante this year and have signed Grammy Award winning reggae group, Morgan Heritage to perform on the Main Stage," said an exciting Eddy Edwards, one of the Managing Partners of Jamaican Jerk Festival NY, LLC, who is totally psyched about the upcoming event. "This is our 7th year in New York and we are planning to make it a memorable festival with an out-of-this-world experience for our patrons." Known to deliver only the best for the largest Caribbean Food Festival in the United States, Edwards is making a promise he plans to definitely keep.

Morgan Heritage's long list of hits sets the stage for a singalong segment, as their fans will certainly join them in song when they perform. Also scheduled to appear is Barrington Levy, another artist with an extensive catalogue of hits as well as Konshens, one of dancehall's constant hitmakers since serving notice in 2012 with the release of his hits Gal A Bubble, Do Sum'n and Pull Up to Mi Bumper. Soca sensation Alison Hinds will add more spice to the main stage concert and with support from Platinum Kids, Ragashanti and Dubmaster Chris patrons can expect the cool Jerk Festival vibe they have come to know and love.

It will be fierce competition in the Cook-Off Pavilion as chefs and celebrities will battle for top honors. Celebrity and Corporate Executive Chef of BB King's, Chef Wenford Patrick Simpson will be on hand to wow festivalgoers with his culinary delights.

The Cultural Stage will fire up early with performances by storyteller and comedian Blakka Ellis, Dr. Sue, and Braata Folk Singers with traditional folk performances. Rising stars Dylan, ShaMain and Yoncia will be sure to impress patrons with noteworthy performances.

Patrons will roam the extensive food court feasting on a variety of foods, visit Arts & Crafts vendors, Corporate Row featuring sampling and giveaways as well as the Kidz Fun Zone. Year after year, jerk lovers attend this all-encompassing festival seeking out the best jerk foods, friends they haven't seen in forever and a multitude of events that offer something for everyone - from the gates open at 12 p.m. till the headliner closes the Main Stage at 8 p.m.

Advanced tickets to the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival NY are available online at www.jerkfestivalNY.com or at selected retail outlets in the tri-state area. Children 10 and under are admitted free.

ROOSEVELT FIELD TO HOST IRIE FASHION RAVE

A Caribbean Experience Weekend

GARDEN CITY, NY - Roosevelt Field is thrilled to announce that it will host the Irie Fashion Rave, a Caribbean Experience Weekend, in partnership with Caribbean Media Group on Saturday, July 8th from 10 a.m to 9 p.m. and Sunday, July 9th from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in North Court.

The Irie Fashion Rave weekend event will be filled with Caribbean cultural elements sourced directly from the Caribbean islands. Shoppers will enjoy fun and colorful presentations of ready-to-wear fashion, food, art, music, travel, and much more in a festive setting without leaving Long Island. "We are delighted to host a weekend filled with Caribbean entertainment in partnership with Caribbean Media Group," said Nancy Gilbert, Director of Marketing at Roosevelt Field. "We look forward to bringing the community together to celebrate Caribbean culture and to continue to provide unique experiences for our shoppers."

Sponsor, Jamaica Tourist Board will be giving away a hotel stay in Jamaica at the event as well.

"The vision for Irie Fashion Rave has always been to highlight and showcase Caribbean fashion and culture to the world," Syntyche' Clarke, Executive Vice President at Caribbean Media Group said.

"When you look at international fashion or listen to mainstream music, there is no question that it is heavily influenced by our Caribbean culture. What we are doing at Irie Fashion Rave is really accentuating and celebrating where it all came from."

VP Records announces the completion of a new album deal with Grammy(R) winning R&B artist Estelle. The full length reggae album is scheduled for a fall 2017 release. The first single, 'Love Like Ours' featuring reggae star Tarrus Riley is available June 16th with a music video to follow.

'Love Like Ours' gives fans a first taste of the upcoming album that will showcase the pivotal influence reggae music has had on the London, England born singer. Raised in a religious, Senegalese/ Grenadian household, Estelle's musical upbringing included a variety of Afro-Caribbean, Gospel, Hip-Hop and dance styles with a healthy dose of reggae music.

Since 2008 and the release of the crossover radio hit "Come Over" featuring reggae star Sean Paul and produced by Supa Dups (Sean Paul, Drake, Party Next Door), fans have been encouraging Estelle to record a reggae album. This project will bring their desires to life with a unique fusion of lover's rock, afro beats and dancehall flavors anchoring her soulful, R&B vocals. "When I told some friends about doing this album" said Estelle, "they were like - 'finally!'" She continued, "everyone who knows me, understands the deep connection I have to reggae music." Estelle has joined forces with Supa Dups again on this project and her fans excitement for the full album is brewing.

Estelle has shown a wide and expanding range of talent and with this album, will complete the musical circle, showcasing one of her earliest musical influences. The singer concluded, "I'm happy to give the people what they have been asking for and I'm proud to share another piece of my life and art with the world."

VP Records and B.B. Kings Blues Club present a night of international roots reggae and dub, celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the historic U.K. reggae label, Greensleeves Records. On Wednesday, June 21st, the legendary BB King Blues Club in Times Square, New York will host Italian born reggae star Alborosie, in his first New York concert performance. Queen Ifrica, the roots reggae diva will headline with her full band, as she embarks on a U.S. tour to promote her recent #1 album "Climb." Musician / producer Addis Pablo will perform a tribute to his late father, dub reggae legend Augustus Pablo, whose work was closely associated with the Greensleeves label internationally. A special sound system presentation from New York favorites, Deadly Dragon Sound with Scratch Famous, Jonny Go Figure and Selector JD will kick off the evening's activity.

Greensleeves Records was founded in 1977 by Chris Sedgwick and Chris Cracknell. The label developed the talents of legends Yellowman, Barrington Levy, Shabba Ranks, Beenie Man, Mr. Vegas, Shaggy, Vybz Kartel, Elephant Man and more. Their work with domestic and international artists helped develop the reggae genre in the U.K. and Europe and set a standard for presenting the music and culture with quality and respect. Greensleeves nurtured the music in Europe from dub plate to download. The label was purchased by VP Records in 2008.

Multiple album projects are scheduled to commemorate the Greensleeves anniversary including.

Veteran reggae hit maker and Big Ship captain Freddie McGregor will be honored by the City Of Mt Vernon, New York with the "Key To The City" for his outstanding contribution to the reggae industry. The presentation to McGregor will be made on Sunday, June 25 at Roy Wilkins Park in NY. The announcement was recently made by Mt Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas.

"Thanks to Mayor Thomas, I will receive one of the highest honors a person can receive, the Key to the City," McGregor said when he got the news.

For Freddie, the award has added significance given it is from a city in Westchester County, New York with strong Jamaican/Caribbean roots.

Jamaican born, Ronald Blackwood who lived in Mt Vernon, became the first African-American who was elected mayor in New York state. Judge Sam D. Walker, who was born in Kingston, served as a City Court Judge in Mt Vernon before he was elevated to Supreme Court judge in New York state. Jamaican rapper Heavy D lived in Mt Vernon for many years. I feel lucky to be honored by a city where Jamaicans have broke barriers and shown how immigrants can live the American Dream," he said.

Known worldwide for his riveting reggae ballads, McGregor recorded his first big hit "Why Did You Do It" with Ernest Wilson in the late 60s. In 1983 he mined gold with "Big Ship" which broke into the top ten of the reggae charts in England and Jamaica. Since then he has amassed an impressive catalogue of popular hits.

McGregor will head to New York this week where he will join a dazzling galaxy of R&B and reggae stars including R Kelly, Stephanie Mills, Busy Signal, Tarrus Riley, Ken Boothe, Leroy Sibbles and U Roy with Lloyd Parks & We The People Band at Groovin In The Park 2017 that takes place at Roy Wilkins Park.

It was a case of "there's no sunshine when you're gone, when the funeral service for veteran Reggae singer, Frankie Paul was finally held last Saturday. It was a somber service in which tears rolled down the cheeks of some inside the church, even as the raine poured on the outside.

As it is with many of the funerals within the entertainment fraternity, it was not well attended, but the important thing is that those for whom Frankie Paul's friendship was an important thing, were present at his final send-off.

Among those in attendance were reggae singer, Luciano, who stated that Frankie Paul helped him a lot during the early days of his career and so he had to be there; Half Pint; George Nooks, the only reggae singer who can be guaranteed to attend the funeral services of not only his colleagues, but also that of their relatives; Minister Babsy Grange, Copeland Forbes, Charlie Chaplin and Bongo Herman. .

George Nooks, as usual, lent his vocals to the proceedings, so too did Luciano and Half Pint, even as Frankie Paul's sister cried her heart out.

Frankie Paul, born Paul Blake,was later laid to rest at the Dovecot Memorial Park.

He passed away at the University hospital of the West Indies on May 18 following a battle with kidney disease.

On Friday afternoon, heavily armed men shot and killed a man moments after he left court where he was involved in a matter.

The deceased has been identified as Steven Malcolm, a senior member of the Nation Crocs gang that operates in Canterbury here in St James.

According to police Malcolm was shot about 11:30, shortly after he left court and was picked up by men in a motor car.

The police said that after going through the traffic light on Howard Cooke Drive the vehicle stopped on Queens Drive, where Malcolm reportedly got out to talk to men in a parked car, when heavily armed men alighted from another vehicle that was on the scene and peppered him with bullets. He was taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Frightened pedestrians ran in different directions for cover, while motorists sped away from the scene but soon created a large build-up of traffic in the congested city.

The shooters, in an attempt to elude the police who were quick on the scene, abandoned their motor car after it hit an embankment.

Camille Cosby, the longtime wife of Bill Cosby, reacted in a lengthy statement about her husband's sexual assault case ending in a mistrial on Saturday morning.

After six days of deliberation, the Pennsylvania jury were unable to render a unanimous verdict on any of the three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault with which Cosby had been charged.

"How do I describe the district attorney? Heinously and exploitively ambitious," her statement began. "How do I describe the judge? Overtly and arrogantly collaborating with the district attorney. How do I describe the counsels for the accusers? Totally unethical."

Cosby continued in her statement: "How do I describe many, but not all, general media? Blatantly vicious entities that continually disseminated intentional omissions of truths for the primary purpose of greedily selling sensationalism at the expense of a human life." The 73-year-old philanthropist, who's been married to "The Cosby Show" creator since 1964, added that "historically, people have challenged injustices."

Cosby then said she was "grateful to any of the jurors who tenaciously fought to review the evidence; which is the rightful way to make a sound decision." She added that his trial ending this way was a "manifestation of justice, based on facts, not lies." She also thanked her husband's attorneys "for their hard work" along with her staff "for their continuous commitment to our family and me."

Cosby ended her statement by thanking her family, friends and supporters "who never gave up on us, despite it all."

Cosby, who turns 80 next month, was subdued and seemed almost dazed when O'Neill declared the mistrial. The Hollywood icon left the courtroom without comment after sitting in his chair at the defense table for several minutes, simply gazing outward. At one point, counselor Angela Agrusa patted him on the shoulder.

He remains free on bail pending the new trial.

It took 52 hours for the predominantly white jury of seven men and five women to decide that it could not decide the case. "We, the jury, are deadlocked on all counts," said the note read by O'Neill on Saturday morning. Defense lawyer Brian McMonagle moved for a mistrial -- as he has done at numerous points during five days of deliberations -- but this time, O'Neill granted the request.

Lawyers in the Patrick Powell case in which he is accused of refusing to turn over his weapon to the authorities during the investigation into the fatal shooting of Khajeel Mais in July 2011 are to make final submissions on June 28.

The defence rested its case on Thursday morning in the St. Andrew Parish Court shortly after the businessman gave an unsworn statement. Powell denied allegations that he refused to turnover his gun to the authorities. He made quite a few headlines when he begged the Parish Judge Vaughn Smith to "have mercy" in deciding on matter.

However, interesting as that might be, what Yardflex finds intriguing is that RJR News is reporting that checks by them have revealed that that if convicted for the offence under the Firearms Act, Powell faces a maximum fine of J$400 or 12 months in prison!

Sooo, the honourable Babsy Grange is allowing prisoners to showcase their talents at the upcomng Jamaica 55 celebrations. But mums the word on whether or not our most famous prisoner, Vybz Kartel, will be among the favoured. One person in government says 'No', Miss Grange says that's a question that she will not answer.

So what's the real deal. Kartel or no Kartel for Jamaica 55?

We've heard rumblings that since Addi is has ben granted an appel, then somehow that disqualifies him from this special treatment. But, then again, could Kartel be granted special bail, pending his appeal? Buju was granted bail and was under some form of house arrest which his case was being appealed. But that is the US.

Allegations are that Minister Rupert Clarke helped himself to three sisters, with the youngest being just 13 years old.

It was disclosed at Monday's opening of the St. Elizabeth Circuit Court that Clarke has been charged with another count of having sex with someone under 16 years old.

The additional count is in relation to a 13 year-old girl who is the sibling of the two sisters with whom the 64 year-old Clergyman is also accused of having sexual intercourse.

Clarke, who was not present, is scheduled to appear in court on June 23 when it is expected that the prosecution will apply for the case to be transferred from St. Elizabeth to the Home Circuit Court in Kingston.

Clarke was taken into custody last December 28 by the St. Elizabeth Police after he was reportedly seen in a comprising position with a 15 year-old girl in a car along the Austin Main Road in the parish.

It is said that the love of money is the root of all evil and this played out in the murder of a Jamaican man by his US wife who had him killed so that she could cash in on a US$900,000 insurance policy.

The American ex-registered nurse in Brooklyn, New York has been convicted of hiring a hitman to murder her Jamaica-born husband in 2013 after two failed attempts at the victim's life. The gunman was also convicted of murder.

It took a jury less than three hours to convict 29-year-old Alishia Noel-Murray, for having her husband, 37-year-old Omar Murray, killed to cash in on nearly US$900,000 in life insurance claims. Jurors found Noel-Murray guilty of murder, attempted murder and weapon possession in the February 23, 2013 assassination of her husband.

Prosecutors said Noel-Murray plotted with her lover, Dameon Lovell, to hire a hitman for US$3,500 to kill Murray, so she could collect on three life insurance policies.

Lovell co-operated with prosecutors in exchange for 15 years to life in prison. It said the assailant, 29-year-old Kirk Portious, murdered Murray in their Lott Avenue, Brownsville, Brooklyn home.

Noel-Murray was convicted of first-degree murder following a jury trial before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog, and Portious was convicted by a separate jury of first-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Each defendant faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole when they're sentenced on June 29.

Controversial dancehall act, Khago....the man who seems rather confused as to his own identity and who has been labelled "freadky" says he used his poison pen to give vloggers a taste of hown bitter medicine.

Khago recently released a new single entitled "Kill Vlogger." The name says it all. The diss track lashes out against several social media personalities who criticized him and branded his singles "Long Gun Boy" and "Come Inna Mi Place" as freaky anthems. (Which they definitely are. So what's the prob?)

Formerly known for conscious songs such as "Nah Sell Out" Khago now dabbles with a lot of lyrics that are as far removed from his days of consciousness, as is his new, lockless, bleached out appearance.

Well, with the decision to kill vloggers, Khago his out at Facebook Hero, Rawpa Crawpa, SouFloTv, CMR TV and Dr Love. Khago says that these persons often only highlight the bad things about entertainers with an aim to effort to tear them down.

Jones & Jones Productions has announced the line-up for JAMBANA™ One World Festival, the Fun For The Family Festival now in its ninth year at Markham Fair Grounds, 10801 McCowan Road at Elgin Mills in Markham on August 6th and 7th, 2017.

With music as the core, this the two-day festival is designed to have fans rock and sway to classic and contemporary sounds, from yesterday and today. Roots to Dancehall, Lover's Rock, Soca, Calypso and Afrobeat, will pulse all day and friends and family of all ages can enjoy the JAMBANA™ experience which unfolds from 1-9:30PM on both Sunday and Monday.

Headlining JAMBANA™ One World Festival this year are Assassin, 'Greetings' creator Half Pint, and Lover's rocker, Wayne Wonder. Paying tribute to the late great Joseph Hill, reggae trio Culture, with his son Kenyatta Hill hit the stage as a stop on the 40th Anniversary Culture Tour. Josey Wales, the dancehall general and Heptones' Leroy Sibbles will keep the Entertainment Village rocking all day long. Global reggae ambassador and 5-time JUNO Award winner Exco Levi headlines the Canadian contingent which includes JUNO winner Nana McLean. Soca Monarch Ronnie McIntosh and Moses Revolution bring the Soca and Calypso vibes to keep round out the musical influences of the islands. Canadian Gospel Minister Marvia Providence with her full band and harmony singers will raise the spirits of JAMBANA™ goers who will celebrate thankfully as the spiritual pause tradition continues at the family festival

While bands switch over, DJs Metro Media from Jamaica, Britain's Lloyd Coxone and Germany's Sillywalks Discotheque will take the party from the stage to the grounds. Teen phenom Joshua Lucas is ready run with the legends as Andre DeGrasse sprinted with Usain Bolt. He represents Canada as one of the 'youngest and baddest' on the wheels of steel. JAMBANA™ Idol returns and will be sure to excite the audience again this year as we get a chance to witness future stars in the making. Registration for the JAMBANA™ Idol contest begins July 1st at JAMBANA.COM/IDOL and 2016 winner Al-Beeno will perform his hit "T.O.R.O.N.T.O" in the Canada 150 tribute, which kicks off both days of the festival.

Visitors to the two-day festival will experience the JAMBANA™ villages hearing, seeing, touching, tasting and learning as they rock to the rhythms of the African and Caribbean diaspora on the stage in the Entertainment village. Food, Health, VIP, Domino, Travel & Trade and Children's Villages enhance the JAMBANA™ experience and provide a little something for the entire family. The two players left standing as the winners of the annual 'Lick-A-Six' domino tournament will each win a trip to Jamaica. Fun meets you at every turn during this year's JAMBANA™ One World Festival.

General admission tickets are $20 in advance and are available now at www.ticketgateway.com. Tickets will be in outlets across the city as of June 25th.

Click on www.jambana.com for complete line-up, ticket prices, outlets and general information. Call 905-452-1911 for general information including sponsorship's and vendor opportunities (spaces are limited).

Inmates and juveniles in correctional institutions across the island will be showcasing their talents as part of the 'Jamaica 55' celebrations, however, according to the government, the most famous prisoner in Jamaica, Vybz Kartel, will not be part of the celebrations.

Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Senator Pearnel Charles Jr., explained that the inmates will be making their contributions through music, and other skill areas such as visual and culinary arts.

"I applaud the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport for its willingness to allow the inmates to showcase their talents and entertain Jamaicans and rebuild hope and trust," he said.

He said the move is in keeping with government's objective to "create space that encourages people's talents to flourish for our country's benefit, and inmates in correctional facilities are no different".

For the Independence celebrations, the adult inmates will be working with former Superintendent at the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), Gladstone Wright, to produce music pieces in recognition of the Independence milestone. Senator Charles Jr. explained that Mr. Wright played a critical role in the development of the music programme in the correctional facilities.

Meanwhile, the youth offenders will be creating pieces for a competition and expo under the 'Jamaica 55' theme 'Celebrating Jamaicans at Home and Abroad'.

Four juvenile correctional institutions across the island are expected to display talents in areas such as mural design, animation, graphic design, fashion designing/tailoring, craft, the culinary arts, and agricultural science. The mural design that best captures the theme will be painted in all juvenile institutions as part of efforts to create child-friendly spaces.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Reggae Sumfest returns to Montego Bay this summer, for the 25th staging of the "Greatest Reggae Show on Earth." From July 16 - 21, the music festival, which draws thousands of reggae and dancehall fans from across the world, will see some of the genre's biggest names, including Sean Paul, Beenie Man and Sean Kingston. Other popular acts, like Alkaline, Mavado, Sizzla and Jah Cure, round out the lineup of over 30 artists.

In addition to enjoying this top-tier talent, visitors on-island for Reggae Sumest will also be sure to experience Jamaica's beautiful beaches, tasty cuisine and friendly people.

"Jamaica is proud to be the birthplace of reggae music, and just as proud to host Reggae Sumfest, giving music lovers an opportunity to enjoy some of Jamaica's greatest talent," noted Paul Pennicook, Jamaica's Director of Tourism. "Reggae Sumfest is an excellent time for travelers to come to Jamaica and immerse themselves in our culture - and after their experience, we're confident they'll become repeat visitors."

As one of Jamaica's most popular resort areas, Montego Bay has many accommodation options for Reggae Sumfest attendees. Below is a sampling of properties and current deals: The all-inclusive Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay offers a beachfront location, comfortable rooms and unlimited dining - ideal for guests looking to attend Reggae Sumfest. The hotel is currently offering a 4th night free when guests book the "Getaway Package" for a minimum four-night stay from Sundays and Thursdays. Rates start at $277.44 per person.

Half Moon Resort offers 10% off the best available rate for guests who book a minimum 4-night stay at least 14 days in advance, a great value for those revelers participating in Reggae Sumfest's weeklong lineup of parties and concerts. Guests will be awed by this iconic property in Montego Bay, which sits on 400 acres of tropical gardens and is bordered by two miles of beach. Rates start at $222.30 per room, per night. The deal also includes roundtrip airport transfers.

Round Hill Hotel and Villas' "Forever Summer" package gives guests one night free, plus a $100 resort credit, when they book a minimum three-night stay by June 30, 2017. The private and secluded Round Hill is set on a lush 110-acre peninsula just west of Montego Bay, making it a conveniently located home base for Reggae Sumfest patrons, while also providing a respite from the festival's activities when needed. Rooms start at $419 per room, per night. Additional taxes, service charges, blackout dates and other restrictions may apply for hotel packages.

Duppy Film heads a list of 13 men the police have named as Jamaica's most wanted. Duppy Film, whose real name is Marlon Perry,is believed to be involved in numerous crimes in Kingston and St. Thomas,his home parish, consisting of a string of murders which include those of two policemen in December 2015.

Police also listed Akeem Johnson, otherwise called Bubus Parks, from Spanish Town as another wanted for several counts of murders and shootings committed in St. Catherine. He is said to frequent Spanish Town, Portmore, Linstead and other areas in the parish.

Adrian Robinson, otherwise called Rasta of a St. James address is also wanted murders and other crimes in that parish.

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, has announced that the government will work with the Burrell family to plan the funeral of the late President of the Jamaica Football Federation, Captain Horace Burrell. Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Minister Grange said: "Our country owes Captain Burrell a huge debt of gratitude for his work.

"A committee has been established which includes the JFF, the staff of the Ministry of Sports, and his family to make those arrangements."

Minister Grange announced that the funeral service is to take place at the National Arena on Wednesday, June 28, 2017 beginning at 10am with a Tribute Concert followed by a Service of Thanksgiving, in keeping with the family's wish for a celebratory event.

Sean Paul is set to drop a brand new collaboration with Colombian Pop superstar Shakira titled "Mad Love," produced by David Guetta.

The single is set to be released on iTunes within the coming weeks, and will be reportedly the lead track for Sean Paul's upcoming debut project for new label Island Records.

Some of the Dancehall artist's biggest hits over the years have included collaborations, and the deejay is hoping this trend continues. He previously worked with superstars such as Beyonce, Blu Cantrell, Keyshia Cole, Kelly Rowland, and recently Sia for the Billboard chart topping "Cheap Thrills."

Forbes has released its list of the top 100 highest-paid entertainers and Sean "Diddy" Combs is top of the tree.

His earnings of $130m (£102m) pushed him up from last year's 22nd spot.

His success is down to his recent US tour, a marketing deal with a vodka company and selling one third of his Sean John clothing line.

Beyonce and JK Rowling took second and third spot, but women comprise just 16% of the world's top-earning celebrities.

Newcomers include Kylie Jenner, at number 59, who is the youngest list member at the age of 19. Her earnings come from her family's reality TV show - Keeping Up with the Kardashians - her namesake cosmetics company and clothing line, plus various endorsements.

Half of the top 10 are made up of musicians, while two athletes - Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and basketball star LeBron James - also make the cut.

Grammy award-winning rapper Combs used to be best known for best-selling albums such as No Way Out and Forever. But the entrepreneur's business interests have catapulted him into the big time, and he's jumped from number 22 in last year's list to nab this year's top spot. Queen Bey needs no introduction but she's made a big leap up the chart, from number 34 last year. That's largely due to profits from her Formation tour and her most recent album, the critically-acclaimed Lemonade. Her husband, Jay-Z, could only make number 55.

Reports are that American rapper/businessman Jay Z travelled to Jamaica recently and his mission was to record new music with Tidal co-owner Damian Marley and veteran recording artist sister Nancy.

The single will reportedly sample Sister Nancy's 1982 smash hit 'Bam Bam.' The three made rounds online Thursday after a photo surfaced, a video shoot in Jamaica is also in the works for the upcoming single.

According to sources, and a picture posted of the two, Jay Z also met with Christian Tavares-Finson who is also the brother of Jr. Gong - they share the same mother Cindy Breakspeare. Christopher just happens to be one of the lawyers for incarcerated dancehall artiste, Vybz Kartel.

The rumour mill is working overtime and spitting out stories that the meeting was to give Jay an update on the Kartel's upcoming appeal trial set for next year.

R&B Super Star Ashanti visited Jamaica for a performance at Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) however, all those journalists who thought they would get a chance to interview her, were out of luck as the diva refused to give interviews to local media.

Ashanti herself seemed to have enjoyed her trip to Jamaica and posted videos and pictures of her trip to the iconic Bob Marley Museum. The organizers of the event hyped up the show by posting a clip of the star doing sound checks Sunday afternoon, prior to her performance later that day.

Her performance (if it can truly be called that) closed a week of activities, and was supposed to have been the big night for CFW. However, while the crowd turned out to give their full support to the event, Ashanti's less than 10 minutes on stage was certainly less than satisfactory. In fact, it was rather shocking. Persons expected at least a 20-minute performance from the R&B act whose catalogue far surpasses that. Why bring Ashanti all the way from foreign to perform for a mere eight minutes?

Anyway, the performances from Dexta Daps on Friday, and African Pop star FUSE ODG on Saturday were certainly much to rave about and while Dexta went for the girls, FUSE, the unknown entity was definitely a man for all seasons.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has issued a bulletin to schools warning them against imposing unreasonable registration fees on students for the upcoming school year.

According to the ministry, registration packages should not be more than five thousand dollars.

At the same time, the ministry has now abandoned the term 'auxiliary fees' and replaced it with 'school support contribution'.

The Ministry insists that students should not be denied entry to schools because of their inability to pay school support contribution.

It says neither should the payment of school support contribution be a requirement for registration, graduation, examination, application to sixth form or access to any service at a public educational institution.

According to the ministry, schools must have discussions with their Parent Teacher Associations to determine reasonable amounts for school support contributions.

But it says before implemented, the ministry must first approve the amount.

At the same time, the ministry said it will partner with the National Parent Teacher Association of Jamaica to encourage all parents to pay school support contribution.

It says sixth form programmes will continue to attract tuition fees that will be set by the School Board and approved by the ministry.

Before & After: New Special Needs School

Your incredible generosity is a big step towards completing the construction of Rockhouse Foundation's current project, developing Jamaica's first public inclusion model Special Needs Early Childhood School. We are very grateful for the kindness and loyalty of so many supporters who enable us to continue 'transforming the places where children learn in Jamaica, and support the great people who teach them.'

Spring Dinner & Raffle

The Spring Dinner and Raffle drawing was held June 6th 2017 at the Rockhouse's sister restaurant in NYC, Miss Lily's, and was a great success raising over US$70,000. We are so grateful to all who supported the night, especially Rhy Waddington, Sam Whitford, Miss Lily's "Chopped Champion" Andre Fowles, and longstanding sponsor JetBlue, and musical guest Tara Harrison and Andrew MacIntyre who ended the night on the highest note.

Rockhouse Foundation

The Rockhouse Foundation, a New York based 501(c)(3), was established in 2003 to transform the places where Jamaica's children learn and support the great people who teach them. Since its inception, the Foundation has expended almost US$4 million building, expanding, renovating and modernizing five early childhood and primary schools, as well as the Negril Community Library. The Foundation's current project is the construction of the regions first Special Needs Early Childhood School. The Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that its contributions to education are meaningful and long-lasting, and supplements its building projects with ongoing facility maintenance and on-site support.

The Rockhouse Hotel and its owners underwrite all administrative expenses of the foundation, ensuring every cent of every donation goes directly to its projects and programs, positively impacting the lives of thousands of young people and their families.

The decomposing body of 24-year-old mother Shantel Dyer was discovered buried in a concrete vault at her home in Pee Wee Lane, Negril, Westmoreland, Wednesday evening.

However, the whereabouts of her three- year-old daughter, Orlandi Miller remains a mystery.

Dyer's body was removed from . Her common law husband, who is said to be in America, is being sought in connection with her murder and the disappearance of the child.

Before he left the island towards the end of April, the three lived together at the Negril home.

It is speculated that Dyer, who was said to have been in an early stage of pregnancy, was killed by her boyfriend who accused her of getting pregnant by another man.

The police confirm that acting on a tip that Dyer was killed, her mother contacted the law enforcers who subsequently destroyed the vault discovered in the house where they discovered the decomposed body, tightly wrapped in over 30 garbage bags and three white sheets.

The body was positively identified as that of Dyer's by family members by a tattoo.

According to http://blackdoctor.org/514411/so-why-are-women-putting-wasps-nests-in-their-vagina/, there are a number of sources that claim that wasp nests promises to single-handedly tighten and clean the vagina with the added bonus of preventing cervical cancer. The tradition hails from Southeast Asia and Malaysia, where women supposedly first used the nests after childbirth to restore the elasticity of the uterine wall.

The nests, also called oak galls, are formed when a gall wasp lays eggs in a tree's leaf buds as a home for the larva to develop. The chemical substance introduced by wasps to make the galls is what retailers claim can heal the uterine wall after childbirth, repair an episiotomy cut (a surgical procedure to prevent tearing during childbirth) when the paste of the galls is applied and also clean out the vagina. Also, any burning sensation is supposed to be "proof" of that it is a powerful astringent. I'm giving a serious side eye to that theory.

These things are being sold on sites like Amazon and Etsy. Because the tree regards the larvae as an irritant, it naturally creates a hard shell around it and the little worms inside feed off the growth until they can break free. Some holistic practitioners believe that once the oak galls are ground up and mixed into a paste or boiled and used as a vaginal wash, their astringent properties will tighten and firm the muscles of the vagina, and ultimately improve elasticity.

Meanwhile, doctors are cautioning against it, insisting that it can do more harm than good. A few such unpleasant side effects include painful sex due to dryness of the vaginal wall, the diminishment of healthful bacteria (which can lead to yeast infections) and, like all intravaginal practices, an increased risk of infections, including HIV.

Also, as far as experiencing vaginal burning when anything -- wasp nests or otherwise -- is applied, that's not generally a good sign."Here's a pro tip," says Dr. Jen Gunter, a gynecologist who wrote a blog post in response to the vaginal wasp nests. "If something burns when you apply it to the vagina, it is generally bad for the vagina." Gunter has likewise voiced concerns over other methods of "vaginal rejuvenation," including V-steaming (Gwyneth Paltrow's go-to) and herbal "womb detox pearls," which can lead to toxic shock syndrome.

Fired FBI Director James Comey kicked off the most watched political testimony in years by blasting the 'lies' told after President sacked him, blasting an administration he says chose to 'demean' him.

In his opening comments, he called out 'shifting explanations' that followed his firing, and specifically pointed to Trump's televised comment that he fired Comey because of the FBI's Russia investigation.

'The administration then chose to demean me and more importantly the FBI,' Comey complained at the top of his remarks.

'Those were lies, plain and simple,' he said.

He said he kept detailed records of his interactions with the president because he was 'honestly concerned that [Trump] might lie about the nature of our meeting.'

It was a contrast to the reviews he got from the president while he was in office. 'He had repeatedly told me I was doing a great job and he hoped I would stay.

In an early revelation, Comey stopped short of describing a conversation where Trump asked him to let go of an investigation into fired national security advisor Mike Flynn as obstruction of justice, which is a federal crime.

'General Flynn at that point of time was in legal jeopardy. There was an open FBI criminal investigation of his statements in connection with the Russian contacts and the contacts themselves,' Comey said.

'I don't think it's for me to say whether the conversation I had with the president was an effort to obstruct. I took it as a very disturbing thing, very concerning. But that's a conclusion I'm sure the special counsel will work towards, to try and understand what the intention was there, and whether that's an offense,' he said.

Comey explained why he kept detailed memos on his conversations and meetings with the president - something he said he didn't do with President George W. Bush and Barack Obama because there wasn't a need.

'I knew that there might come a day when I would need a record of what had happened, not just to defend myself but to defend the FBI and our integrity as an institution,' Comey said.

'I was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting, so I thought it really important to document,' he said.

Comey also explained how he interpreted Trump's statement in an unusual one-on-one meeting where he asked Comey to let the investigation of security advisor Mike Flynn go.

Jailed dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel has apparently been unaffected by this afternoon's fire at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre. Kartel is serving a life sentence there for murder.

According to reports, the fire affected the George Davis Centre, at the institution which was once known as the General Penetentiary, and is today still referred to as GP. The George Davis Centre houses the mentally ill. They were all relocated to a safe section of the prison.

As expected fans of the Gaza general, Vybz Kartel, took to social media expressing their concern for the deejay.

He was recently relocated to GP, after having served a portion of his sentence at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre. There was a national debate that Kartel had been recording songs while incarcerated at Horizon.

The police report that a man only known as 'Little Junior' of Barnes Road, Rockfort, Kingston who was listed as wanted on Sunday, has surrendered to the police.The police said Barrett's attorney escorted him to the police station today.

However, the police say two men are still left to turn themselves in.

Dwayne Barrett, also known as 'Nookie' also of Barnes Road, Rockfort in Kingston and Andrew Facey, otherwise called 'Andrew Phang' also of a Rockfort address in the parish are being advised to turn themselves in immediately.

According to police, Bartlett is said to frequent D'Aguilar Road, Glasspole Avenue and Shanty Town area of Rockfort, while Facey is said to frequent Adastra Road and La' Cruise Road also in Rockfort.

Anyone knowing their whereabouts is being asked to contact the Kingston Eastern Criminal Investigation Branch at 948-4200, police 119 emergency number, Crime Stop at 311 or 811 or the nearest police station. Persons can also share information with the police via the Stay Alert app.

Leader of the Opposition Dr Peter Phillips says he is saddened by news of the loss of Captain Horace Burrell.

"Jamaica will always remain grateful to Captain Burrell who, as the head of the Jamaica Football Federation, believed in the potential of our national players and took Jamaica's game to the global playing field," Phillips said in a release.

He noted that Burrell made a significant contribution to national development through football and the exposure of Jamaican players and he will be missed.

Burrell, who was 67 years old, died today. He was known to be battling cancer since last year.

The People's National Party is in mourning following the murder of one of their stalwarts, Maxine Simpson, the assistant to Karl Blake, the councillor for the Greenwich Town division in the St Andrew South West constituency of Portia Simpson Miller. Councillor Blake was shot and injured in the attack which left his female assistant dead.

Ms Simpson was killed in the attack around 8 p.m Sunday at their divisional office at Caribbean Palms off Spanish Town Road in Kingston.‎ Blake who received shots to his upper body was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery.

The police have yet to release details about the circumstances of the shooting.‎‎

In the meantime, several of Blake's colleagues in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation have taken to social media to extend support.

"Please pray for Councillor Karl Blake who was shot not long ago. Our prayers at the KSAMC (Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corpoation) are with him. Condolences go out to the family [of] Mr Blake's personal assistant," Mayor Delroy Williams tweeted.‎

Councillor, Duane Smith tweeted: "My deepest prayers for my colleague Karl Blake who was shot and injured and my sympathies to the family of his secretary who was killed."‎

Lady Ivy Cooke, an educator and the widow of former governor general, Sir Howard Cooke has died.

She was 100 years old.

The first announcement was made on Twitter this afternoon by former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller: "Just heard that Lady Ivy Cooke, widow of Sir Howard Cooke has passed. She is now reunited with the love of her life. Walk good Miss Ivy," Simpson Miller tweeted.

Reports are that Lady Cooke died at the Andrew's Memorial Hospital in St Andrew Monday afternoon.

Sir Howard died in July, 2014 at the age of 98.

The union produced three children - Justice Howard Cooke Jr, Richard and Audrey.

In a statement a short while ago, Prime Minister Andrew Holness hailed Lady Cooke for her contribution to education in Jamaica.

After a long period of silence, fans of deejay Buju Banton have finally heard from him. The incarcerated entertainer sent fans a poignant letter via Facebook on Friday, thanking them for their loyalty and pointing to a better future upon his release.

"To all of my fans who have stood beside me I thank you. Your actions, letters and heartfelt prayers have been appreciated. I thank you and am humbled by your kindness - I am with you and you with me. Always. After many years there were a multitude of my fans gathered on a page automatically generated from your search for me and my official page. With the approval of my official page you were migrated here...And at last we are reunited. I will be with you again soon - they may have the past and present ... but the future belongs to us. Bless..." he wrote.

Buju Banton, whose given name is Mark Myrie, is scheduled to be released from prison on December 8, 2018.

In a recent Instagram post curvy diva Yanique decided that there is a time for everything...and that was indeed the time to clown out her own self.

This is what she posted: "My little pumpkin ever flop me, after me feel all trendy in my dress with my breast all out and sexy," she wrote. "She just remind me that the main purpose of the breast is to feed them 😂😂😂😂😂 (I just called her Mom because my breast have no Milk just plastic)."

The events hostess and recording artiste clearly has a sense of humour and must have anticipated that someone on social media would have made a comment similar to that. So, before they said, she did.

Yanique 'Curvy Diva' Barrett is actually the mother of one, a daughter who she protects from the glare of social media. The child she was caring for was either a relative of the baby of a good friend.

Police have identified the three persons including a teenager who were murdered last night on Jones Avenue in Spanish Town, St. Catherine. Dead are 14 year old Travis Labbon, 43 year old Evette Bailey and 24 year old Mario Burkette otherwise called 'Rocky", all of Jones Avenue.

According to reports from the Spanish Town criminal investigation branch, CIB, explosions were heard in the community and the Police were summoned.

Upon the arrival of the lawmen, Labbon, Bailey and Burkette were seen with what appeared to be gunshot wounds to their heads in their home. A female who was also wounded was taken to hospital for treatment.

Persons with information are being asked to call the Police at 119, 811,311, 984-2874 or the nearest police station.

According to one Bible scholar, Pastor Onaolapo Ajibade: "The same pride and selfishness that brought Lucifer down from his lofty position as the head of all the angels would bring Babylon down from its position as the most powerful nation of the then world. It is proper then that inspiration introduces the fall of Lucifer in the context of the fall of Babylon.

Lucifer purposed in his heart: "I will be like the Most High" (v.14). That was pride at apogee!

Pride is the most insidious and dangerous of all sins. Every human being, whether saint or sinner, has some pride. To think I do not have it is proof that I am deceived. In the Church, people get dis-fellowshipped for adultery but not for pride, because pride is a "respectable" sin. But my guess is that more people will be excluded from heaven by pride than by any other sin.(Why did the Pharisees, in spite of overwhelming evidence, reject Jesus as the Messiah?) The only power that can break pride is the power of the Holy Spirit..

Isaiah Ch 14, 11 - 14

11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

"Pride is the most insidious and dangerous of all sins" Pride filled Satan's heart so completely and caused him to rebel against God.

Look at "The 5 I Wills" of Satan:

1) "I will ascend into heaven"

2) "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God"

3) "I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north"

4) "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds" is a reference to Satan's desire to rule the created universe.

5) "I will be like the Most High"

He lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden and is still using the same lie on men and women today: that they can become gods.

It is the same sin of pride that leads to rebellion still rear its ugly head in our own lives. There is an old saying goes, "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay." Each time we sin, we reinforce a pattern that becomes harder and harder to break. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse our sins.

Someone wrote in his bible: "This book will keep you away from sin, or sin will keep you away from this book."

The Donald Trump administration has rolled out a new questionnaire for U.S. visa applicants worldwide that asks for social media handles for the last five years and biographical information going back 15 years.

The new questions, part of an effort to tighten vetting of would-be visitors to the United States, was approved on May 23 by the US Office of Management and Budget. According to a Reuters report, critics argue that the new questions will be overly burdensome, lead to long delays in processing and discourage persons from travelling to the United States.

Under the new procedures, consular officials can request all prior passport numbers, five years' worth of social media handles, email addresses and phone numbers as well as 15 years of biographical information including addresses, employment and travel history.

A State Department official said representatives will request the additional information when they determine it is required to confirm identity or conduct more rigorous national security vetting. The State Department said the tighter vetting would apply to visa applicants who have been determined to warrant additional scrutiny in connection with terrorism or what it described as other national security-related visa ineligibilities.

While the new questions are voluntary, the form says failure to provide the information may delay or prevent the processing of an individual visa application.

Meanwhile, Reuters is reporting that immigration lawyers and advocates in the US have raised concerns about the new visa requirements. They stated that the request for 15 years of detailed biographical information, as well as the expectation that applicants provide all their social media handles, will likely catch applicants who make innocent mistakes or do not remember all the information requested.

President of the Iranian American Bar Association, Babak Yousefzadeh, says the new questions grant arbitrary power to consular officials to determine who gets a visa with no effective check on their decisions. He said the need for tightening the application process further is unclear.

High Times, the magazine that has chronicled the transformation of marijuana use from an underground vice to a major American business, said on Thursday that it had been acquired by a group of investors that includes Damian Marley, son of the reggae star Bob Marley.

The group, led by Adam Levin, the founder of the investment firm Oreva Capital, bought a controlling interest at a price that values the magazine at $70 million, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

In a news release, the new ownership group said it planned to expand the publication's audience and its events business.

"I think most would agree it was not executing business at max potential under the legacy framework established by the founders," Mr. Levin, who will become chief executive of High Times Holding Co., said in a statement. "We are going to build on the strong base they created to bring High Times from the authority in the counterculture movement to a modern media enterprise.

The magazine, which in January moved its headquarters to Los Angeles, had previously been owned by the New York-based Trans High Corp.

Mr. Marley, a reggae artist like his father, noted that he had started reading High Times in high school. "It is now an honour to be a part of the High Times legacy that I've been a fan of for so many years," he said in a statement.

The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade as a subversive record of the marijuana counterculture. Whereas Playboy centerfolds displayed buxom women, High Times centerfolds displayed beautiful buds. It offered how-to instructions for growing at home, and even advice on best practices for smuggling marijuana.

These days, as marijuana acceptance has grown and states continue to legalize its use, High Times balances lifestyle writing with more serious coverage of "ganjapreneurs" and the "cannabusiness."

Ariana Grande's upcoming concert One Love Manchester has sold out in just six minutes, organisers have announced.

The tickets went on sale at 10am on Thursday morning and by 10.11, they had tweeted that they were completely sold out.

Ariana also tweeted about the tickets, but was already too late.

The One Love Manchester concert is set to take place on Sunday June 4.

Ticketmaster said in a statement: 'Ticketmaster was unsurprisingly met with remarkable demand for One Love Manchester tickets we had on sale this morning - 140,000 fans were on the website and our call centre was buzzing.

'With over 450,000 searches on our site for One Love Manchester over the last 24 hours, demand was always going to be extremely high.

'We are happy to report that there are thousands of fans who successfully purchased tickets during the general onsale.'

Sean Paul is calling on Drake to give dancehall and Jamaican culture more homage.

It's no secret that Drake has taken such a liking towards dancehall culture that he recorded an entire album full of dancehall influenced singles. The album Views was the biggest selling album released by any artist last year and one of the biggest in decades release by a rapper. Last Year Sean Paul sound off on Drake saying that not only he was not the best rapper, but he doesn't make good dancehall music.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Hull, he claimed that the rapper should have given greater 'accolades' on the hit track - which was the best-selling UK single of 2016.

He said: 'I think at the time when it was popping off, it would have been good for him to actually put accolades towards the whole culture.

'He's friendly with a few people in the business in Jamaica and that's good, I love it.

'But if he had given more accolades when he was actually making it and said "this is the music I love", it would have been cool.'

Bringing Ed Sheeran into the debate, he added: 'Ed Sheeran has done one song that is huge and it's dancehall reminiscent.

'But that is one song, he [Drake] had an album full of dancehall so I think he should have paid a bit of an accolade and told people in the press that is where I'm coming from, I have a love for that music.'

The dancehall legend also spoke about hearing the patter of tiny feet after welcoming his first child, son Levi Blaze, with wife Jodi Stewart in February.

'It's been three months now and I'm getting the daddy muscles!', he joked.

'A lot of stuff has changed, but it's only for the better. He's brought light into our lives and we're really thankful."

And when it came to his own music, he teased a forthcoming collaboration with Shakira - having previously worked with the likes of SIA and Little Mix in recent years.

He said: 'I just released a new song with Migos that is about to pop off on radios, big up to them!

'I'm also looking forward to dropping a single with Shakira, it's being mixed right now!'

The raunchy, run-things female dancehall star, Spice, had quite an experience on stage at the Bayfront Park, in Miami, Florida over the weekend. A woman jumped on stage and proceeded to dagger..yes DAGGER... Spice good and proper. And Spice appeared to enjoy it all.

So, will somebody please tell us what a gwaan? Wha really a gwaan inna dancehall?